It's Only True in the Stories
by RvnsDsks
Summary: When the Villain Kids arrive at Auradon Prep, Ben and his friends noticed there was something definitely wrong. When they go to Fairy Godmother with their fears, she decides to help them figure out the truth- but no one is quite prepared for just what truths their search uncovers. - Full Summary Inside! Story adopted from Lightning-Lex372. Rated high T for later content.
1. Not Kansas anymore

**Full Summary**

 **"What do you think villains teach their kids? Kindness? Fair play?" When the Villain Kids arrive at Auradon Prep, Ben and his friends noticed there was something definitely wrong. When they go to Fairy Godmother with their fears, she decides to help them figure out the truth- but no one is quite prepared for the truth their search uncovers. The truth of what really happens when Villains don't love their kids.**

* * *

 **Hey guys! Ravens and Writing Desks, otherwise known as Raven. In the midst of all my other stories and life events, I am starting yet another story! This is my first time writing for Descendants, and this story is one that I've adopted from Lightning-Lex 372. The original story is called "What's Past is Past," and I highly recommend you check out and read their first two chapters for this story as Lex is an extremely talented writer and did a great job setting things up for a great story.**

 **This story will play off of Lex's first two chapters, but follows my original story idea which is the idea that Carlos has a stutter, and how the story changes from there. It's not quite an AU, but the idea is something completely different, and so it does change things a little bit. I have not read the books, though I do intend to, but this story will not be book-verse, strictly movie based. I've also changed some of the ages around a little bit, so I hope you can forgive me for that.**

 **Ok, on to the story! This is rated T, but on the higher end of the T spectrum, for language and later chapters. Warning in advance, this story will deal with darker elements including child abuse (in various forms), some minor references to depression/self harm, and the general doom and gloom of the Isle.**

 **I do not own Descendants, and nor do I own the original story. I only own my ideas, and the computer I write them on. I hope you all enjoy the story, and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **Thanks.**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **(Additional note. I have done a lot of research, but I am no expert, and though I do have some experience with stuttering myself, I do not actually have a stutter or a speech impediment. This is purely fiction, though I did my best to accurately and respectfully portray what it is like to have a stutter. I hope I do not offend anyone with my portrayal, and I apologize in advance if there are those that take offence with my portrayal of a character with a stutter.)**

* * *

Intro

There's a certain set of unspoken rules on the Isle; a sort of, do and don't list. They're simple, easy to follow. Do lie. Do cheat. Do steal. Do kill. Do whatever it takes to survive. It's a short list. Easy. The Don'ts are even easier.

Don't show fear. Any weakness, really, but this one was crucial. They were meant to be feared. They were not the ones who should beg for mercy.

Don't apologize. Don't trust anyone. Don't get caught.

The last three were the most crucial, the ones you really needed most to survive. And it wasn't quite so easy, but then again, the Isle wasn't meant to be easy. But surely, it should have been harder, at least? They should have made it harder. Because sitting in the back of the shiny black car, as it sped along to what could only be their doom, Carlos couldn't help but think that maybe they should have made it harder. Maybe then he wouldn't have broken the rules.

Maybe then they wouldn't have been caught.

* * *

Carlos

The back of the car isn't as cramped as he had feared it would be, when he'd first seen it pull up outside of Maleficent's castle. The seats were leather, but soft in an almost foreign way, and there was enough space that they could have completely stretched out if they'd wanted to. It doesn't take long for Jay to discover the secret compartments full of food, and Evie mutters something to Mal about looking unattractive, but all Carlos could think was that he'd never known food could be neon pink. And come on sticks. Jay was taking advantage of the room, stretching out so he was almost reclining in Carlos' lap, slurping some kind of sticky red rope as if he were in some weird Lady and the Tramp remake.

Carlos hesitates, unsure if they were even allowed to take anything. But the drivers were silent and stoic behind their darkened divider, and so he shoves a few small balls of something in his mouth before he can second guess himself. Instantly he melts, groaning as the taste hits him, and hits Jay a few times to get his attention. It takes the older boy a few seconds, but then he looks over, and Carlos swallows hastily a few times to clear his mouth, gesturing to the ball in his hand.

"These," he mumbles excitedly. "It's sssalty like nuts, but it's ssweet like I don't know what."

Jay's eyes narrow suspiciously, and he panics a moment as he realizes what he's done. But Jay doesn't comment on his slip up, just slowly chews his own treat a moment before answering.

"Let me see," he demands, and Carlos sighs in relief, sticking out his tongue and allowing Jay a full view of the remains of the food in his mouth.

Evie shrieks in disgust, but Jay glowers, and Carlos yelps as he's attacked, whimpering protests as the treat is ripped from his hands. Jay sits back in satisfaction while Carlos cringes, waiting for something more to happen. You never just win a battle on the Isle without taking something more in return.

It's Jay's turn to realize his mistake, and he grimaces, his mouth opening as he draws a breath to speak. Carlos thinks he might actually attempt some kind of apology, but then Jay thinks better of it and shoves the treat into his mouth, humming his approval with a grin. They sit back in relative silence, and he supposes it's not so bad.

Then Evie shrieks again as the divider goes down, and they catch a glimpse of the road before them. Carlos feels his heart plummet into his stomach, and Mal and Jay compete for the worst swear as they both curse rather crudely. They'd never been outside the main town on the Isle, and even on the outskirts they'd never ventured to the road. They'd never had need to. And even though they had wondered what exactly kept them all trapped there, Carlos had always assumed it was some kind of magic bubble or something.

There was a bridge. The stone cobbles were cracked and gouged out in some areas, stretching out and then breaking off about a quarter way out from the Isle. A literal dead end.

"It's a trap!" He yells, his voice strangled, and he thinks briefly that at least his last words had come out right.

Then they're all screaming, and there's no fear of slipping up when you scream. He feels arms wrapping tightly around his chest, a solid warmth behind him, and he clutches desperately at the arms, for once not caring about how weak it made him look. It takes a comically long amount of time to realize that they're not dead, and he sits up, blinking in Jay's arms as a gold light blinds him.

"Wh-what just happened?"

The bridge is solid, smooth and golden beneath the car, the light spreading out before them and forming the bridge bit by bit, while the rest falls away behind them once they've safely passed it. Evie is smiling and even Mal looks mildly impressed, as Evie says what Carlos only just realized.

"It must be magic."

He shoves himself away from Jay, who glares pointedly out the window, and he doesn't mind being ignored this time. Everything is bright here, so many colors swirling in patterns that Carlos had never thought possible. It was almost cruel, really, seeing just how amazing it all was, thinking on what they had just come from. But it was still incredible to take in, and he climbs forward a little, leaning on Mal to stare out even further.

"It's nice," he whispers.

"Please," Jay scoffs. "It could be a wooden box filled with grass and you'd still say it was nice."

"What do you think the school will be like?" Evie asks quietly, before he can really protest.

"Well it can't be worse than the Isle," Jay grumbles, rubbing subconsciously at his face. "At least here no one can deck you for talking out of turn."

"Or talking at all," Carlos adds softly.

Mal shrugs. "I don't care what it's like as long as my life is being threatened every waking moment."

"I don't know," Carlos whispers. "I mean, any place that would set a tra-trap like the bridge…"

"Yeah," Mal chimes in, a smirk on her face that was only partially genuine. "Sacrificing their own guys to take out a bunch of Villain Kids…"

"But it wasn't a trap," Evie broke in, sitting up sharply and then wincing, leaning back against Jay's shoulder.

"We'll find out," Mal mutters darkly, and the heavy silence that fills the car is thick and painful.

Carlos fiddles with his dog tail, his classic black and white this time, unable to keep the one thought of his head. "What do w-w-e do if it is w-worse?"

He mentally curses whoever invented the letter 'W,' but Jay just rolls his eyes dismissively.

"It can't be worse. It's impossible."

"I can think of several w-ays in which it _could_ be possible," Carlos counters carefully.

"How? These people aren't allowed to do half the stuff they do on the Isle," Jay insists.

"Definitely more than half," Evie put in from his shoulder.

"See?" Jay grins, but there's something about it that has Carlos thinking he's trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"We're almost there," Mal says after a moment, and there's a tremble in her voice that he knows by the grimace she makes that she'd been trying to hide.

There's fountains and bushes that are carved into weird shapes, and he realizes only after a second glance that some are animals. A third glance reveals one as a dog, and he shudders, fighting the panic that the silhouette brings. Mal is shaking, too, and on an impulse he slips his hand into hers. He sees Jay grasp Evie's hand as well, and he can't help but think that they hadn't done something like this since they were kids, and that Jay must have been feeling the tension too because he hadn't tried stealing anything.

The car stops with only the tiniest squeal, and he doesn't dare try to offer any comfort because he knows if he opens his mouth, he'll slip. He only vaguely registers the noise outside of the car, the blur of color and cheering and maybe laughter. Welcoming sounds, he thinks, but it's hard to feel welcome when it's your jailors who are doing the greeting. He's pretty sure they've broken all the rules at this point, but it doesn't matter because the door is opening and he isn't entirely sure what will come of this.

Mal is crushing his hand and there's people in uniform everywhere, and a voice right in front of him is saying:

"Welcome to Auradon Prep."

* * *

Ben

The first thing that goes through his head is that the villain kids are smaller than he'd thought. The next is a wish that he'd studied their folders just a bit more, because he couldn't for the life of him remember all their names.

"Welcome to Auradon Prep," he says cheerfully. And of course, it is cheerful. Being the son of Beauty and the Beast, he'd had certain expectations to uphold. Being their sole heir also meant lots of training on being diplomatic, and always having an open mind despite any reservations on his part. And boy, were there reservations!

"I'm Ben," he continues, extending his hand to the closest kid: a large, tan muscular boy. He had long, dark hair tucked under a ratty red beanie, but enough of it hung down to partially conceal his face. He knew this one-if the gold and red coloring of his clothes hadn't given it away, the wicked gleam in his eye did; one he'd heard about and seen all too often reflected in the eyes of a certain former street rat's son.

But the son of Jafar was a different matter entirely, and what _was_ his name? The boy is taller than he is, so he has to raise his head a little to look him in the eyes as he takes his hand. He might not be able to remember his name, but he could at least afford him the respect of looking him in the eyes.

The boy's grip is firm, almost too firm, and he shakes in a way that leaves Ben feeling like they were meeting in a dark alleyway instead of broad daylight. It was a handshake that could easily be turned into an attack, and it's short; the boy backing away quickly with a toss of his head that gives Ben the faintest glance of a black eye before it's hidden again behind a curtain of hair.

"Jay," he says shortly, and Ben has to keep his frustrated sigh internal. He'd known it, he really had.

He turns to the girl with purple hair next. She's small, but not the shortest in the group. That position is reserved for the boy behind her. The girl's jacket is patterned in scales, purple and green that hangs off her shoulders like it's too big for her petite frame. She's pale, with piercing green eyes that he only just catches before she shoots them to the ground.

 _Must be Maleficent's daughter,_ he thinks to himself, but she jumps when he offers his hand, and it's unsettling to see the child of the Mistress of All Evil so…nervous.

"Mal," she says, and her voice is level, and echoing with a hidden authority, which makes her slow awkward shuffle that much more out of place.

Next is the girl with blue hair, and he manages to remember her name before she says it. "Evie." She doesn't shake his hand for long, and he thinks he sees it tremble as she takes it back and clenches it by her side.

Neither girl looks him in the eye, and neither does the boy he'd seen standing behind them all. Hiding, almost. Ben extends his hand to the boy, but he just closes his eyes, his whole body stiffening like…like he doesn't know what.

"That's Carlos," Evie says briefly. "He doesn't talk."

Carlos, yes. Cruella's son. 14, maybe 15 years old. (He wasn't quite sure. The folder hadn't quite been clear on that.) Doesn't talk. He'd known that, too. It was part of why Ben had chosen him. He had hoped that despite his silence, Auradon could help him find a voice. Help all of them, really.

But they were all silent now. Even the band had stopped playing in the background, though Ben couldn't begin to guess when they had stopped.

He glances to his left, meeting eyes with Audrey and finding a weird expression on her face; that look she gets when something is very wrong, but she can't break her 'princess' face to show it. He knows if he stares too long, he'll start breaking too, so he returns his gaze to the four kids in front of him.

"Let's start with the tour," he says, but it sounds more like a question than an actual statement. They don't respond other than to give muted nods, and he can't help but exchange another anxious glance with Audrey.

"Well, then, follow me."

They do, but if he hadn't been glancing behind him every few feet, he never would have known. They moved quietly and quickly, the only one who seemed to be openly taking in anything was Jay. He moved with a bit more confidence than the others, who barely raised their heads to sneak glances at what Ben showed them.

He had elected not to give them the long and boring version of the tour, instead keeping it simple; here's the dorms, there's the gardens, over there is the tourney field, the stables, the school itself. He can almost pretend like it's a normal tour; that these aren't villains behind him, just regular kids, and that there isn't anything wrong with them.

He's proven wrong yet again, when they reach the statue.

He pauses, and they hover anxiously as he explains the purpose of the statue, and why his father had thought it important for it to be the first thing new students see. A symbol of happy endings, and second chances. But when he claps his hands to demonstrate his point, they flinch, and Carlos lets out a strangled yelp, practically throwing himself in Jay's arms. It would have comical to see the larger boy, gripping the smaller boy's shoulders with a slightly disgruntled look. But the sheer terror in Carlos' eyes, mixed with the fact that Jay seems to be subtly placing himself between Carlos and the perceived danger, nulls any amusement he might have found at the situation.

"Carlos, it's alright," he assures quickly, as Jay works to untangle the boy from him. "My father wanted the statue to be able to transform from Beast to man; to show that anything is possible."

Carlos nods jerkily, but his eyes are on the ground again, and Jay doesn't quite relinquish his grip on the boy's shoulders. Ben clears his throat, forcing himself to maintain an air of calm and assurance as he leads them inside. He thinks he hears Mal muttering under breath, something about his dad and shedding, but when he turns to face them all again, there's nothing but silence. He's saved from further awkwardness by the appearance of Doug, who's so engrossed in his book that he doesn't seem to realize he's approaching the stairs.

"Doug," Ben calls, and his friend's head lifts, and he makes his way normally down the steps towards them.

"This is Doug," he introduces to the villain kids. "He'll be helping you get settled into your school schedule and anything you need to know about the dorms."

Doug doesn't make any move to shake the kids' hands, but he does smile politely and introduce himself. "I'm Doug, Dopey's son," he says.

He starts to list off all the dwarves' names, but Ben stops him before he can get going. He always forgets Sneezy, and they could be standing there all day waiting for him to get it. Doug smiles at the villain kids one more time before leaving, and Ben continues with the tour.

"There's a map of the whole school and the grounds in the main entrance here," he explains. "And you guys are in the North Tower, rooms 13 and 17. 13 is for Mal and Evie, and Carlos and Jay are in 17."

They seem surprised that he'd addressed them by name, if the slight lifting of their eyes is any indication. Even Carlos raises his head, but he quickly looks away again when Ben meets his eyes.

"Do you guys want any help finding your rooms?"

They don't answer, but he hadn't really expected them to. It scares him just how quickly he'd tuned into their nervous behavior, but he forces himself to press on.

"Just follow the maps, and if you do get lost, the suits of armor will tell you where to go if you ask. Do you have any questions?"

They all shake their heads, still not speaking, and Ben shuffles his weight nervously. "Well I'll give you guys time to get settled. I'll come by and get you for lunch and explain some of the afternoon classes."

More silence, and Ben swallows quickly. It prickles at the back of his neck; that sense of 'wrongness,' but he manages to maintain his composure enough to speak.

"Ok, I'll see you guys then. Come on, Audrey."

He winds his arms through Audrey's and turns away, heading back outside and across the grounds toward the tourney field. Outside in the warm air, the oppressive atmosphere diminishes, but he still finds himself glancing back over his shoulder. He almost trips over the bleachers, and Aubrey lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Ben! Please, look where you're going," she says, and he forces his gaze back to her, blushing slightly.

"Sorry," he respond. "I was distracted."

"Clearly," she says, but it's not coming out as sharply as he knows she can be.

"It's just-"

"Something's wrong," she finishes for him, and he's surprised at the fierce glint in her eye. "They're not acting right; none of them."

"I'm sure they're just nervous about coming to a new school," he responds carefully. "And, I mean, we did kind of exile them."

"Only Jay would even look you in the eyes, Ben!" Audrey cries. "And they've been hurt. Recently; couldn't you tell?"

"I saw the black eye," he hedges.

"You didn't see the mark on Mal's cheek? Or how the other girl- Evie- was wincing every time she breathed? And Carlos wouldn't even let you touch him!"

He knew he'd have to stop her before she went off on a tangent. "Hey," he says soothingly, "We'll figure it out, and we'll help them, ok?"

He had known something was off, but he hadn't wanted to say it out loud. Afraid that it might make it real. But there was no denying that something was wrong.

"It's going to be ok."

It's more to reassure himself, but Aubrey nods anyway, taking a deep breath. "I'm gonna go see if Jane or Lonnie noticed anything off about them."

"Ok," he says, to appease her. "Just give them some space, at least until lunch? This is a new place and I want them to be comfortable."

She nods again and heads off toward the school. He watches her go in, and then heads for the gardens. He needed to find Doug.


	2. Settling in (sort of)

**Hey everyone! Wow, I can't believe the response I've gotten to this story! Over five hundred views already? What? I'm really glad you're all enjoying things so far, and I hope this lengthier chapter will help satisfy you for a little while.**

 **To my reviewers: (I always answer at the top, so if you don't want to read my responses, skip ahead to the next section)**

 **ToughGirlsRule: (They certainly do!) And I'm glad you're liking the story. I agree, if it wasn't so 'Disney-fied,' this would be what it would be like. I mean, they are the worst of the worst villains, after all. And I'm glad you're liking Jay. There really isn't enough of him in these things. I haven't figured out too far ahead yet, but I do plan on exploring Jay vs. Aladdin a bit. That's all I'll say there. ;)**

 **Guest: I'm glad that you're glad, lol! Hope you continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Delta Orchid: Easy there, don't hurt yourself. The latest chapter is here!**

 **Tiredandlazy: I will happily accept your thumbs up, and I don't think you were rude at all. I hope you'll continue to enjoy.**

 **blackkitty5133: More is here so you don't have to wait. :)**

 **huskylover94: Thank you! I'm glad to hear you think this is so great. Hopefully you'll keep reading and enjoying.**

 **keirstinpaige: Your wish is my command! Was this fast enough for you? ;p**

 *****Warning! This chapter contains some language (mild) and brief references to self harm and abuse/neglect! Nothing graphic, but it is there, so be warned!*****

 **A/N: One more thing, this chapter includes sign language. I've taken the time to describe the signs as they are, but if you'd rather I keep things simple and just say 'he signed, she signed, etc,' let me know!**

 **Anyway, enough talk! To the chapter!** **Again, I do not own Descendants, or the original story idea. Thanks for all your support and interest. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Ben

He finds Doug right where he'd expected him to be: in the garden, bent over a book. Despite being the son of Dopey, he was the brainiest one of the group, and could generally be found in the gardens on days they didn't have morning classes. He looks up as Ben approaches, adjusting his glasses to greet him properly.

"Hey, Ben," he says, marking his place in his book before closing it.

"Hey, Doug," he responds, and, because it's the polite thing to do: "What are you reading?"

Doug makes room on the bench as he sits down beside him, smiling as he brushes nonexistent dust off the cover.

"It's a treasury of classics from the past few centuries." He stares lovingly at the book, which is enormous and could easily fill a backpack by itself.

"Did they get settled in ok?" There's no need to clarify who 'they' are; who else could it be but the new arrivals?

"Well enough," Ben shrugs a shoulder, trying not to reveal how uncomfortable the whole thing made him.

"I didn't really stick around long enough to find out, but what are they like?" he continues, and Ben can tell he wants details.

"You saw them," Ben replies. "Jay, son of Jafar-he's the tall one; looks like he could lift a carriage above his head. The rest are-"

"I know what they look like, Ben," Doug interrupts, rolling his eyes, exasperated. "I meant, what are they like?"

He hesitates, frowning slightly. "They're quiet. Too quiet." For the children of four of the most hated and feared Villains, he'd expected a little more…chaos. "And they're skinny," he continues slowly. "Like they don't get enough to eat."

It's a foreign concept in Auradon; not eating enough food. If anything he sometimes thought they'd had too much food. So to be faced with four kids who didn't…it was a little startling, to say the least.

Instead of looking startled, however, Doug nods. "Well, that's no surprise there," he says, and it's the offhand way he says it; so knowing, so casual, that has Ben taken aback.

"It's not?" It comes out harsher than he'd intended, and Doug gives him a strange look.

"Of course it isn't."

His confusion must be showing on his face, because Doug straightens a little on the bench. "Ben, you have to know by now that the Isle only gets our garbage."

"Our garbage," he repeats blankly, the words not quite registering.

Doug nods slowly, still looking at him weirdly. "You know, the stuff we throw out; food that goes bad before it's sold; our leftovers-well, in edibles, really. Old tech. Pretty much everything we don't use."

He must have been silent for too long, as Doug continues quietly, "You did know that, didn't you?"

Ben shakes his head, still a little dazed.

"I mean, it's not that big a deal," Doug covers quickly. "What else? Anything interesting?"

"Not that I can think of," he say slowly.

The truth is, there was a lot about them that was 'interesting.' Like the bruises. And their clothes: the wrong sizes and not quite right for this weather. The way they all stared at the floor when he looked at them. Except for Jay. He seemed to take every look as a personal challenge, and wouldn't look away until someone else did first. Carlos' silence, and his reaction to the statue. Like he was expecting it to leap off the pedestal and attack him.

Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe all the kids on the Isle grew up like that. But he didn't want to bring it up with Doug, in case he said that it wasn't anything to worry about. That stuff like that was normal. He would have to get Fairy Godmother to check them out, because nothing about this situation felt 'normal' to him.

He stood abruptly, smoothing out miniscule wrinkles in his suit jacket. "I'd better get going," he says with a forced smile. "Lunch is coming up, and I told the new arrivals that I'd escort them down."

Doug looks up at him with a concerned look on his face, pausing him in his tracks. "Ben. Did you really not know? About the food?"

The comment brings a lump to his throat that stings when he swallows, and he barely manages to respond, "No. No, I didn't. Now if you'll excuse me…"

He struggles to regain his composure, but manages a quick nod to Doug. He thinks he hears the other boy trying to say something behind him, but he's already out of earshot; hurrying out of the garden and back towards school.

* * *

Mal

The room is ridiculously pink, with lace and frills everywhere. The curtains are almost see through they're so pale, despite also being tinted pink. The blinds draw securely, and she's grateful for that at least. The furniture that qualifies as a 'bed' is large enough for two, and there's a faint smell of flowers in the air. Roses, she thinks, grimacing in disgust.

"It's amaz-"

"Gross." She cuts across Evie's awed gasp, slamming her suitcase down at the foot of the nearest offending item.

"Right," Evie says, subdued. "Amazingly gross."

But Mal can hear her muted squeal of joy, and she can't help but roll her eyes, amused. "Door, E," she mutters, and Evie pauses in her quiet tirade of the room to answer.

"Already got it."

"The lock, too?" It only hurts when you're not careful.

Evie doesn't respond, but Mal doesn't need her to. They both know how these things go. She only hopes Jay and Carlos stay just as sharp. They can't afford to lose themselves in the cushy lives of Auradon.

"They don't really expect us to sleep in these things, do they?"

Evie smirks, but the longing in her eyes as she runs her fingertips across the soft pink comforter is unmistakable. Sure, there'd been beds back on the Isle. Anything and everything qualified as a bed, as long as you could sleep on it or in it, or under it. As long as it was somewhere easily defendable, it could feasibly be called a bed. There were some on the Isle who carried around bamboo pallets that could be unrolled as an easily transportable bed.

She forces herself to shove those thoughts aside and work on unpacking what little clothing she had. The closet is huge, almost a room in itself, but there's barely enough outfits to fill even a quarter of it, even with the clothes she finds already hanging inside. Uniforms; the same ones she'd seen the Auradon kids wearing outside. Blue and white plaid skirts with a matching blouse jacket, complete with a few long sleeved button up shirts of various pastel colors.

"I am _not_ wearing this," she declares vehemently, shoving the disgusting items to the very back of the closet.

Evie lets out a sharp gasp behind her, and Mal feels her lips twitch in amusement. "It's only a uniform, E, you don't have to…"

Her words fall short when she turns, and sees Evie frozen in the closet. Her face is pale, so pale Mal thinks she might be sick. One arm is suspended in mid-air, reaching for an empty hanger, and the other is pressed tightly to her side, her body trembling slightly.

"Shit," she curses, dropping the clothes and rushing to the other girl's side. "Evie, what is it? Are you alright?"

A stupid thing to ask, really. The look on Evie's face; that tight look of pain that Mal knew all too well, should have been an obvious answer.

"Fine," Evie manages to get out, and she even smiles, but it's too thin of a smile for Mal to be fooled. "Just…moved too fast, is all."

"You should sit," Mal says, moving aside some of the clothes on the bed that had yet to be put away.

"Doesn't help," Evie mutters.

"Sorry, that wasn't a suggestion."

It's enough to make Evie actually smile, and she allows Mal to help her sit on the edge of the bed.

"Careful Mal," she whispers with a pained chuckle. "Someone might think you actually care."

The words hurt, strangely enough. Of course, Mal would never admit it. But she would think that with everything they had been through together; and despite her mother's insistence that any kind of attachment was a liability, that it would be obvious by now that she did care. Especially considering the previous night, and exactly how Evie had received her injuries in the first place.

Evie must have read the thoughts on her face, because she leans forward despite the pain, her brows furrowing slightly. "Mal…"

Anxious to change the subject before things got out of hand, Mal picked up one of the outfits Evie had laid aside on the bed. "You want me to put these in the closet for you?"

"No, I'm going to put them back in my bags. I, uh, I can't wear them right now."

An outfit that Evie can't wear? Mal raises an eyebrow suspiciously, examining the offending garments closer. They're varying shades and degrees of blue and leather, her usual trademark style.

"I see nothing wrong with these whatsoever."

Evie huffs a short sigh, rolling her eyes. "Mal. The sleeves."

Oh. Mal looks again, and realizes that they're all short sleeved. Even the one dress that has sleeves only comes down halfway. Mal curses her insensitivity, although there is a part of her that knows being insensitive is usually the one thing she prides herself on. But still…

"It's pretty hot out, E," she reasons. Even she hadn't ditched all of her short sleeved clothes when she'd…well…

"I don't want to weird anyone out," Evie replies flatly. "We've barely been here an hour and they've been looking at us like we're freaks ever since we got out of the car."

"Freaks?" Mal repeats lowly, but Evie continues smoothly, ignoring the interruption.

"Besides, you're wearing a jacket for exactly the same reason."

It's hard to debate such a solid point, but she tries anyway; about to argue that it's not quite the same thing. That her jacket was more to conceal the bruises than anything else. That she'd at least had the sense…but that was pushing past insensitive, borderline cruel. And even if it was in her nature, saying all that to Evie was not an option.

The sound of the lock clicking in the door halts her midsentence, and Evie stiffens on the bed, shooting Mal an anxious look. She almost misses the look, too busy bending and slipping a knife from her boot, grateful the Auradon residents were naïve enough to not bother with a dangerous items check when they'd arrived.

Evie's got her hand hallway to her pocket, ready to grab the small vial hidden inside. It's a simple blend of nightshade, magic, and something else that Carlos had managed to procure, though he couldn't begin to say what it was. It didn't matter so much what was in it as it mattered what it did. The mixture inside would create a thick, dark screen of smoke, and the combination of magic and poison would leave the victims blind and completely paralyzed. Or dead, if enough was inhaled. The paralysis was temporary, at least. The other effects, not as much. It had only been used once, but they hadn't talked about it since then.

The latch snaps, signifying a successful break in, and Mal braces herself to throw when the door swings open and two familiar figures appear in the doorway. Evie slumps in relief on her bed, but Mal takes a moment longer to relax and lower her arm, scowling.

"You idiots," she hisses, but it's more a sigh of relief than anything hostile. "I almost killed you!"

"Well," Jay says casually, eyeing the room while Carlos attempts to fix the lock he'd broken. "You didn't, though it's good to see old habits haven't died so easily."

"Please," she scoffs, replacing her knife in her boot. "As if an hour in this place would make me forget years of fighting for my life."

"Just saying," Jay shrugs. Carlos makes a triumphant sound as the lock clicks back into place, and he comes fully into the room, looking around in a similar state of awe as Evie had.

"This is the pinkest, pr-r-rissiest room I've ever seen in my life."

Jay snorts. "And we all know _that's_ saying something."

"I'm not complaining," Evie sighs, no longer stiff with pain, although Mal knows she has to still be feeling it. "It's got air conditioning and lights and plumbing that works all the time; not just whenever our parents remember to pay the bills."

"Or when-never I high jack stuff and fffix it for you," Carlos adds, before his eyes light up and he rushes past them.

"Hey, check out the TV!" he exclaims, ripping open one of the nightstands beside the beds and pulling out a small black remote. "If you press the red button, you can w-watch TV, and if you press the gre-green button over here, you can play g-ames."

Jay rolls his eyes. "It's not that exciting."

"Th-that's what you say now!" Carlos shoots back, wedging himself under the TV and messing with the wires. "Just w-w-wait till I get it st-started!"

Mal rolls her eyes as Jay places himself next to Evie on the bed, letting her lean against him. "Carlos if you break it, you're putting it back together."

"I'm not gonna b-break it!" He shouts back, his voice muffled beneath the TV.

"And breathe, dude," Jay adds with a smirk. "You're slipping again."

Carlos mutters something in response, but it's drowned out by the game on the screen, blasting some obnoxious theme music as it suddenly comes to life. Carlos climbs out from under the TV, snatching up the controller to start the first level.

It's amazing just how young he looks in that moment, and something tugs at Mal deep inside. Carlos may have only been 14, and the youngest of all of them, but he'd had to grow up pretty fast on the Isle. They all had, really. But in one moment he'd transformed, and was almost like a kid again. It made Mal ache to see it, and she set herself to organizing Evie's lip gloss in the bathroom, lining up the small array in order of color.

"Jay," she hears Carlos chatter in the other room. "You've gotta tr-try this!"

There's the sounds of a struggle, and a heavy _oof!_ followed by a triumphant laugh from Jay. "You're right, this is pretty cool."

"Ja-ay!" Carlos whines. "There was another controller! Wh-wh-why'd you have to take mmine?"

It's almost normal, and Mal can feel herself starting to wish, to wonder what things would have been like if they'd grown up here instead. It's a dangerous line of thought, and she quickly finishes organizing the rest of the makeup before heading back into the other room.

"Hey, Carlos," she says, and he looks up from his spot on the floor at the foot of her bed. She notes briefly that it's the furthest from Jay, and she inwardly laughs at that before continuing. "How do you want to play this?"

"Play wh-what?" He frowns, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, Evie's already covered you, for now, but you can't stay mute forever."

He reddens, then pales, all set to start choking out a protest, but she holds out a hand and stops him short.

"You know we're not gonna make you say anything if you don't want to. I just wanted to know how you wanted to go about it out there."

He closes his mouth, then nods, thinking. Jay even pauses the game, looking back over his shoulder to hear.

"I think," he begins, then hesitates. "I think I'll stick to wr-riting, and, maybe…" he cringes, his eyes on the floor as he finishes. "M-maybe some sssigning, if you guys…if you still…."

"Dude, chill," Jay says, cutting him off.

Carlos flinches, but Jay is smirking, and he waits until Carlos looks at him before answering. "Of course we still know."

His hands make the signs as he speaks, and Mal can practically see the wave of relief as it washes over Carlos' features.

He brings a flat palm up to his mouth, then pushes outward with the back of his hand towards Jay. It's something they'd never really learned to say, and it was part of the words' forbidden nature that led it to become a necessary part of Carlos' vocabulary.

[Thank you.]

"Ok, let's not go too far," Jay grumbles, but he's still smiling, and he tosses Carlos the extra controller.

The game resumes with a vengeance, and barely more than fifteen minutes pass before they're arguing with each other again. In the midst of all the chaos, there's the faintest sound of a knock on the door. It takes all of three seconds for the game to be turned off, Jay and Carlos standing stock still in front of the TV screen.

Carlos' eyes are wide, his hand shaking slightly as he signs; a finger gun shape, with his thumb against his chin, his pointer finger curling inwards a few times. [Who?]

Mal rolls her eyes, her own movements quick and sharp as she whispers, "Well, if I knew _that…_ " But it's not the time for sarcasm.

The knock comes again, a little more insistent, and Jay shushes Carlos' soft whimper.

[We're not supposed to be here.] He signs frantically, motioning to himself and Jay, but Mal hushes him as well, calling out to whoever is at the door.

"Come in!"

Carlos is shaking, and Mal notes with some relief that Jay has put himself between Carlos and the door. Evie has her hand at her pocket again, but Mal thinks it shouldn't have to come to that. Anyone who would want to cause them trouble wouldn't have been so polite.

"Hello again," a guy's voice says, and Mal relaxes as she recognizes him as the guy from earlier. Ben? She thinks it's Ben.

He stands in the doorway, not entering, and surveys the room curiously. He spots Jay and Carlos, but doesn't comment on their presence, instead turning his gaze back to Mal.

She quickly drops her gaze to the floor, muttering a noncommittal "Hi," in the hopes that maybe one of the boys will say something, too.

"Are you guys getting settled in pretty well?" Ben asks, and Mal is tempted to laugh, but refrains. Why should he care?

"Yeah, we're alright." It comes from Jay, and Mal sighs quietly in relief that the conversation had been taken from her.

"Good," Ben says slowly. "That's…that's good."

Something in his voice is tight and strained, and Mal narrows her eyes at the floor. Was he being forced to check on them? They definitely didn't need his pity, or any of Auradon's 'hospitality.' She's all set to tell him so, consequences be damned, but just as she raises her head, he speaks again.

"It's uh, almost time for lunch, so I came to get you guys and bring you down to the dining hall."

Mal turns and surveys her crew. Jay is hovering halfway between Carlos and Evie, ready for whoever needs him most. She raises an eyebrow at him, silently asking what he thinks, but he just shrugs a shoulder. Evie looks apprehensive, but she nods anyway. Carlos is the most nervous of them, shifting his weight back and forth and fidgeting with his dog tail. She catches his eye and asks the same thing, but he shakes his head vehemently, pointing at her and then tapping his shoulder twice with a claw shape.

[You're the boss.]

Ok then. She turns back to Ben and nods, trying to seem like she knows what she's doing. "Sure, I guess."

Ben smiles, then, and there's something nice about his smile. Reassuring. Then she realizes what she's thought and scowls, turning back to the rest of the gang and jerking her head. They shuffle into place behind and around her, instinctively creating one of their defensive formations.

Mealtimes were never a fun affair back on the Isle, regardless of location; whether school or home. At school it was general mess of a free for all, and anyone who actually managed to get food was beaten to a pulp and stolen from. And at home, it was even worse.

She could handle herself just fine in a fight, and so could Evie, if it came down to it, and given the right circumstances. Jay was no question, and Carlos…he could hold his own. For a little while. But she really wasn't in the mood to deal with something like that right now.

Ben leads them back to the main entryway, then turns off from there and enters a large open room. The ceiling is impossibly high, with golden chandeliers casting light into every corner. It's more of a giant hallway than a room, with circular tables set up in neat little clusters, and larger tables full of dessert type food set up at the front of it all.

"This is it," Ben says, as if they couldn't tell for themselves. "Sit anywhere you like."

He leaves to join a table full of other Auradon kids near the center of the room, and Mal blows out a short breath between her teeth.

"Ok, where do we sit?"

Evie steps up to her side, nodding her head towards a table near the back of the room. Jay makes a low noise of disapproval, and Mal glances to him out of the corner of her eye.

"Too far if we need to make a quick get away," he explains shortly. She nods, seeing his point. Carlos taps her elbow, and raises a hand to point to another table. It's near the door, almost in a corner; easily defendable, but not so tucked into the corner that they'd be trapped by it.

"Nice work, Carlos," she praises, and Carlos grins, but it's a short lived moment as they sit down. Evie is on her left with Jay, and Carlos sits on her opposite side. The plates in front of them are empty, but there's food in the middle of the table: a wicker basket full of squat round bread, and a few covered silver bowls with steam leaking out from beneath the lid. A small card is next the each plate, and Jay picks one up, staring at it curiously.

"Vegetable rice soup, chicken stew, biscuits, peas, and apples," he reads, slowly.

The names sound familiar on their own, but altogether like that, it might as well be a foreign language. The smell does enough of a job explaining for them, however. Mal feels her stomach grumble, and Evie swallows beside her, her eyes fixed on the plate of apples. Carlos reaches out to grab something from the uncovered basket, but Mal smacks his hand back.

"We don't know how this works," she says sharply. "We don't want to get in trouble."

At least not yet. It's a simple plan, and straightforward. Lay low and blend in, scout out the terrain, gather all the information necessary and then, find the wand. But they can't lay low if they go and break whatever sacred rules they have here in Auradon, so they sit, silently waiting for the signal to eat.

It's not the worst torture they'd experienced with food, but it's close enough that Mal can feel her stomach convulsing. Jay taps his fingers anxiously against the table, and Carlos fidgets with his dog tail, clipping and unclipping it from his belt and making miniscule adjustments to the chain. The smell is intoxicating and nauseating in turns, as memories of old punishments involving food drift through her mind.

It's at least twenty minutes before change comes, in the form a confused looking Ben. He appears suddenly behind Carlos, who jumps so hard his knee hits the edge of the table. Mal motions quickly with her hand, calming him before he tries to start apologizing.

"If you don't like it, we can get you something else," Ben says, decent enough to not comment on Carlos' reaction. "We weren't sure what…"

"No, this is fine," Jay cuts him off quickly. "It's just… we thought…" He looks to Mal helplessly, not sure how to phrase their concern.

"We didn't how much we could have," Evie blurts for her. "Or who we had to ask."

Ben blinks, and his confusion is almost comical. "Ask?"

"If it was okay for us to eat?" Mal says, wondering if maybe they'd pegged this the wrong way.

"Ok," Ben says slowly, like he's trying hard to stay diplomatic. "I don't know what lunch is like on the Isle of the Lost, but here you can eat however much you want…. And you don't have to ask anybody."

I'm sure you don't know, Mal thinks sourly, but the emotion is only halfhearted because she's still starving.

"Right," Jay mutters quietly. "Uh…thanks."

The word is just as foreign a language as the food before them, but somehow Jay manages it, and Ben nods awkwardly.

"Enjoy your food."

He makes his way quickly back to his table and sits down, and it's only in watching him go that Mal realizes that everyone he's sitting with is staring at them. She quickly whirls back to face the food, and her group.

"Ok then."

It's all the encouragement they need, and they start adding food to their plates. Carlos is torn between the two soups, but Jay 'helps' him decide when he takes a bite of one and instantly spits it back into the bowl with a grimace. He chooses the other soup, and Jay begins to rip off pieces of bread. They all avoid the apples, but Mal doesn't really need the added food as she's already full in minutes.

She shoves her plate away, groaning as she sits back in her seat. "I don't want to waste it, but I am stuffed."

Evie eyes all the food still left unfinished at the center of the table. "Mother would kill me for leaving this much."

"Nah, she'd probably just beat you," Jay says matter-of-factly, crossing his arms behind his head. "Or she'd…."

Evie glares at him, effectively cutting him off. Mal stares at her own plate, thinking that a meal like that would likely have lasted her at least a month back home. If Maleficent was in a good mood, that is, and actually let her eat in that month. And didn't try slipping poison into any of her food.

A bell rings loudly above their heads, shattering her train of thoughts. Carlos just about jumps out of his skin, but Mal notices that everyone else starts to get up and head toward the doors. She quickly pushes back her chair, and the rest of the gang follows her lead. They're about to tail the Auradon kids leaving ahead of them, when Ben appears once again and stops them by the door.

"Ok, so normally after lunch you'll head to your first afternoon class," he explains. "But we still haven't figured out what classes you guys will be taking yet. So for right now, you'll be going to Remedial Goodness class with the Fairy Godmother."

Mal straightens, suddenly alert. Fairy Godmother? This could be the chance they were hoping for. She glances to her right to see that Evie is just as focused as she is, and she grins to herself. Maybe they could pull this off after all.

"It's technically your first morning class," Ben continues apologetically. "But the schedule…anyway, it's right down that hallway. You can't miss it."

He points the way they're supposed to go, then gives them a quick smile before hurrying down the hall in the opposite direction as a second bell rings out. They follow his directions to 'Remedial Goodness,' Jay laughing about Carlos's reaction to the bell, but his humor does nothing to quell Mal's sudden unease. By the time they reach the classroom, the hallway is practically empty, but she wouldn't have survived as long as she had if she let 'practically empty' be synonymous with 'safe.'

Evie goes in first, ducking under Jay's arm as he holds the door. It's not so much a gesture of goodness as it is a strategy of defense. Evie can easily clear a room with her vial, but if things got messy, Jay was positioned to block any escapees, or else leap into the mess himself. Carlos crept in next, always closest behind, and always closest to the door in case he needed to run. She's the last one left, defending them from anything that might try to catch them from behind.

It's that instinct that drives her to scan the hallway a final time before entering the classroom, and so she's the only one that notices Ben. He's standing at the far end of the hall, frozen outside of a classroom door with a weird look on his face. She doesn't get the chance to figure out what it might be; because he realizes she's seen him in the next instant and ducks inside the classroom, leaving them to face their first class in Auradon alone.


	3. Ain't it good, ain't it fun

**Hey guys! Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. I have to say I am really blown away by the amount of responses I've gotten in the form of reviews, favorites and follows! I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to do this story and the original author justice, but I'm glad to see that so far I'm succeeding. :)**

 **To my reviews! (Again, feel free to skip to my Author's Note)**

 **Forever-Furuba: Thank you for pointing that out, as I did realize I didn't do a great job addressing that. My head-canon is that typical magical spells, curses, and even enchanted items are rendered useless on the Isle, and though a magical potion may be brewed, it wouldn't be as effective as if it were brewed in a place where there is magic. I will be exploring the 'incident' where Evie used it on the Isle, but for now, I hope that explanation makes sense. Also, I'm glad you like the signing and I will continue adding descriptions.**

 **140: Thank you for the kind words! I hope you will continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Delta Orchid: I don't think you're rude, just passionate about what you are interested in. :) Although I am currently typing this up a la the style of the Headless Horseman, which is a little awkward, so...yeah.**

 **anonimo: Voy a seguir escribiendo, gracias por el estímulo. Espero que continúe leyendo y disfrutando.**

 **Guest2: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. The next one is coming soon.**

 **13fb01: Thank your for the review, and the suggestion! I am incorporating it into the next chapter, and I'll make sure you receive an honorable mention. :)**

 **keirstinpaige: You're very welcome, I'm glad you love it!**

 **Guest1: You'll be finding out what happens now, don't worry. :)**

 **huskielover94: I'm glad you think it's great! Hope you continue to enjoy.**

 **dancergymnast2003: Thank you for the wonderful review and kind words, as well as your correction. I made sure to clean up the dialogue a bit and make things clearer. I appreciate that, I always work to improve my writing. Feel free to point things out that you notice in this chapter as well! :)**

 **Tiredandlazy: Aw, thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to review. It wasn't rambly at all, and I always leave a sort of farewell at the end of my reviews, too. It just feels right. ;)**

 **Guest3: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story. :)**

 **Whew, ok! Here we go with the notes: To my Guest reviewers, I feel bad not having some sort of individual name to call you, so if you wouldn't mind leaving some kind of nickname or something you want to go by so I can address you personally, I'd love to be able to do that. :)**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter contains a lot more signing, and also some cursing, including cursing in sign, so be warned! I did say it was high T for language, and I'm exploiting that a bit. This chapter also contains some brief mentions of abuse, nothing explicit, but it is there.**

 **There's also some shameless Disney references, so have fun picking those out. (They're kind of obvious, but enjoy anyway.)**

 **Note 2: I'm including a link to the site I've been using to learn sign language below, in case anyone wanted to be able to see the signs for themselves to get an idea of what they look like. Forgive the weird format, it was the only way I could type the website.**

 **(Three w's) lifeprint (and the standard dot com)**

 **(Not the cursing, though, that was sheer Google, and PLEASE! I can't state this enough, do not replicate these signs in respectable company! I would say at all, but I know better.)**

 **Anyway, without further ado, the next chapter of It's Only True in the Stories! I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **-Raven**

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Carlos

There was never a dull moment with school on the Isle of the Lost. Something was always burning, or being broken, or stolen, or…lost. Lessons and classes were as informal as they could get, and usually centered on various methods of killing, stealing, and spying, in no particular order. Plots of revenge weren't always being shoved down his throat, and it was easy enough to get swept up in the chaos of a mass of youthful villains; full of bad blood and hormones.

It was one the reasons Carlos had loved it. Being the son of one of the more evil villains on the Isle, and with the reputation his mother had for being less than stable, he was usually given a wide berth. Especially if he was with Mal and Jay and Evie. He could keep his head down, do the work required of him and survive.

For the most part, anyway. Given his heritage, it was also expected of him to be just as particularly evil, and that was where he'd run into problems. And when it was discovered just why he'd never really 'participated' in class, well…it all went downhill from there. The teachers were especially ruthless, refusing to tolerate even the slightest slip on his part, and he'd barely managed to scrape through as each term just got worse and worse.

So the idea of school in Auradon, where everyone is so sickeningly _perfect_ , is enough to tie his stomach in knots. Who knew what sort of standards they had? The halls are practically empty when they finally reach the classroom, but he'd been ambushed enough times in seemingly abandoned places to know to tread lightly. He's almost grateful when he finally squeezes his way into the room behind Jay, and hears Mal closing the door firmly behind them.

It doesn't last long, however, as he finally takes in the classroom. It was **huge** , large enough to fit at least three of the classrooms back on the Isle. A raised platform stood at the head of the room, with a giant stained glass window behind it, tinted with the blue and yellow colors of Auradon. A blank chalk board stood atop the platform, just beside an empty podium, and the room itself was filled with small wooden desks; all lined in neat little rows and just big enough for two.

But it's the back wall that has him worried, namely, that there is none. The 'wall' is divided into three sections: two ornate open windows on either side, with a large glass door between them. The glass was wide open, allowing Carlos a view of another hallway, and an open sort of antechamber filled with computers and plush chairs. The hall was full of bustling students, and he could even see a few more Auradon kids in the open room beyond.

It was by far the worst thing he could have imagined about class, and he began scanning the rest of the room on instinct, trying to find places to hide; anywhere that could be defended. There was nothing, the room itself confining by nature, and he draws a sharp breath, trembling as he grabs desperately at Jay's arm.

The taller boy turns quickly, taking one look at Carlos' face and instantly stopping. He reaches out, patting the air in front of him twice with both hands, palms down and fingers slightly spread.

[Calm down.]

Carlos shakes his head, trying to point and show Jay what he means. He holds his hands up, palms out and with both pointer fingers pressed together. Then he moves his left hand, breaking it away from the right and turning it to face his right hand before bringing it back against his right hand.

[Door.]

"The door?" Jay repeats, frowning, but he looks when Carlos points, and his expression clears. "Oh."

"What?" Mal had come up behind them, while Evie is hovering just in front of the first row of desks.

Carlos repeats his sign and points, shaking his head frantically. [No door.]

Mal frowns, her eyes narrowing as she surveys the glass, then she raises her head and scans the rest of the classroom.

"Too vulnerable," she mutters.

Carlos taps her shoulder, his eyebrows furrowing and then lifting as he signs; shaking his pointer finger, and then tapping the front of his left shoulder before bringing his finger across to tap the front of his right.

[Where do we…?]

And he only just starts to form the sign for 'sit,' when a low hollow noise echoes through the room, and a door he hadn't noticed behind the platform opens, and a small but stern looking woman striding out.

Evie stiffens, and Carlos shrinks behind Jay, Mal moving forward and coming to stand just beside him. The woman pauses when she sees them, and he bites his lip hard, bracing himself for an outburst.

"Oh," she says, and she seems almost as startled as they are. "There you all are."

She smiles, and it lifts her entire face, banishing her stern expression from earlier. "Well we haven't got all day; just pick a seat and we can get started."

She seems good natured enough, and Carlos supposes it would be given, considering where they are. But there was something off about her smile, and the way she was watching them-almost like she was waiting for them to burst into flames; made him uneasy.

They shuffle obediently to the center of the room, far enough from the woman to be out of range, but still close enough to the door they'd entered through. Evie and Mal choose one table, while Jay and Carlos take the one just beside them, the aisle seeming too wide a divide as he settles anxiously into place.

"That's better," the woman says. "Before we begin, I believe introductions are in order." She waves with a slight flourish of her hand before gesturing to herself. "I am Fairy Godmother."

Carlos sees Mal straighten out of the corner of his eye, and he does too, out of instinct.

" _The_ Fairy Godmother?" she repeats, and there's something weird about her face, like she was trying to be sincere. "Like, bibbity, boppity, boo?" She even waves her hand like it's a wand, and Carlos grimaces at how unnatural a 'good' Mal looked.

"Bibbity boppity you know it!" The Fairy Godmother says, chuckling at Mal's wand waving.

"Wow," Mal sighs, and Jay gags beside him. Carlos feels his lips twitch. Even Jay got it. "You know, I'd always wondered what it must have been like for Cinderella; the way you just appeared out of nowhere with that magic wand, and sparkly gown. And the magic wand."

Carlos coughs pointedly, but is ignored as the Fairy Godmother clasps her hands together in an all too _perfect_ and proper gesture.

"Well," she says warmly. "That was a long time ago, and as I always say 'Don't focus on the past, or you'll miss the future.'"

"Kill me now," Jay mutters, and Carlos can't help but agree. This lady is almost as flamboyant and dramatic as Maleficent sometimes, though he doesn't think either women would appreciate the comparison.

Fairy Godmother turns and begins writing out a lesson plan on the board, and Carlos uses the opportunity to pull a sheet of paper from his bag, scrawling on it hastily before reaching across the Isle and kicking Mal's shoe with his foot. She lifts her head, and though she didn't noticeably turn it from the board, he knows she's watching. He flashes the paper, smirking at her before tucking it away again as Fairy Godmother turns back around.

 _Laying it on thick, Mal?_

She doesn't get a chance to respond, but if the subtle clenching of her jaw was any sign, she didn't find it as humorous as he had.

"Now then, before we begin," Fairy Godmother continues. "Carlos."

He freezes, and he sees the others do too. He has to fight to keep the fear off his face, but he's certain he's failed because the woman's expression falters. He nods carefully, making sure to keep his eyes on her so she knows he's listening.

"I know you don't talk, dear," and her voice is still kind, but hesitant. "And so I just wanted to be sure that you and I were on the same page with class. How would you like to go about this?"

He stares, completely caught off guard. Never, not once had anyone tried to accommodate him; especially not a teacher. Most of the teachers on the Isle didn't have the patience to wait for him to write his responses, and they all had their own creative ways of 'helping' him whenever he slipped and stuttered while speaking.

He looks to the rest of the gang, but they're just as stunned as he is, and he realizes that Fairy Godmother is still waiting for him. He blushes, pulling out his notepad.

 _I can write._

She nods, smiling. "That will do just fine."

He breathes a soft sigh of relief, sitting back in his chair. Maybe he could survive this, after all. Then he catches sight of the questions on the board, and he suddenly isn't so sure. He nudges Jay, who scowls at him, but Carlos jerks his head to the chalkboard, eyes wide as Fairy Godmother begins speaking. A long thin stylus appears in her hand, and she points to each word with it as she talks.

"You find a magic lamp…," she begins, and Jay is frowning in a different way now, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Do you: A) Seal it in a cave? B) Use it to gain unlimited power? C) Trick the genie into giving you more wishes? Or D) Use the lamp's powers for good?"

Jay is silent a moment, his head cocked slightly in that 'thinking' thing he does; where he tries to decide what the best way to rob you is. He scans the board, then searches Fairy Godmother's face before finally shakes his slowly.

"Is this a trick?"

The way the Fairy Godmother's smile falls off her face is almost comical, and Carlos even hears Mal give a breathy sort of cough; the kind she does when she wants to laugh but knows it would be dangerous to show her amusement. Jay is clenching and unclenching his fist under the table, and Carlos feels a whimper rising in his throat as he waits for the inevitable explosion.

"I'm sorry?" Fairy Godmother asks carefully, and Jay snorts, his eyes hard as he gestures to the board.

"'If I find a magic lamp,'" he repeats derisively. "As if every waking moment of my life I haven't been looking for one. Now, suddenly, _somehow_ , I find one, and you want to know what I'd do with it?"

"Jay," Mal hisses sharply, and he instantly falls silent, but his expression is still a steely mask as he crosses his arms across his chest.

"Jay," Fairy Godmother repeats carefully. "The question is not a trick. It's merely…an exercise, to test your abilities to determine right from wrong."

Jay laughs, but it's harsh and bitter, and both Carlos and Fairy Godmother flinch to hear it. "Well, in that case," Jay mumbles darkly. "If I found a magic lamp, I'd seal it in a cave where no one could find it. Especially not my father."

"I, oh…," Fairy Godmother blinks, seemingly caught off guard by his answer, and Carlos thinks that might be the only thing saving Jay from being punished. "Well," she finally continues. "I suppose…that is still an admirable thing, Jay. Well done."

Jay scoffs, rolling his eyes, and Carlos knows this isn't something he'll be letting go of anytime soon. Fairy Godmother clears her throat anxiously, then taps the board with her stylus again.

"Next question," she says, recovering her wits and winning smile. "You are given an adorable puppy…."

Carlos flinches, the blood draining from his face and leaving him feeling cold and then hot in turns.

"Do you: A) Skin its fur for a coat, or B) Give it a treat?" Fairy Godmother finishes with a very direct smile at him. "Carlos?"

He swallows, shaking his head hard. For the second time this class, Fairy Godmother blinks in surprise, and he writes quickly in his notepad, hearing Jay chuckle beside him as he reads over his shoulder. He shrugs off the other boy's prying gaze and holds up the pad with trembling fingers.

 _C) Drop the dog and run._

"I'm sorry?" Fairy Godmother says, faltering as she takes in his response. "Run?"

He nods earnestly, tapping the word again. _Run._

Jay is chuckling openly now, and Carlos shoots him a glare, elbowing him hard in the ribs to shut him up.

"I see…" Fairy Godmother drawls, in a way that Carlos knows she really doesn't. "And why would you run, Carlos?"

It's his turn to stare, blinking in disbelief before quickly scribbling his response.

 _Dogs are evil._

The woman is rendered entirely speechless by that statement, while Jay is still breathlessly laughing beside him. Fairy Godmother stares at Carlos, like she's trying to decide if that's all his words are: a joke. But finally she nods slowly, pursing her lips and turning back to the board, taking in the remaining questions. She looks back to them, specifically Mal and Evie this time, and seems to come to a decision.

"Right. I believe we'll tackle the rest on your next lesson, tomorrow morning. Let's move on to a bit of history, shall we?"

When the bell finally rings an hour later, Carlos shoots out of his seat, but he's grateful this time. He's so fast that he's just behind Mal; who'd somehow anticipated the ring and risen a second earlier, and right before Jay; who grumbles as he gets up from his own seat. Evie stands slowly, swinging her handbag onto her shoulder and then wincing, but manages to recover gracefully.

"I suppose that concludes our introductory lesson for today."

Those words are some of the best ones Carlos has heard all day, after that lesson. A whole hour of being taught the basic rules and history of Auradon life, and just exactly what it means to be 'good,' was even more mind numbing that brushing his mother's fur coats. He falls into place behind Jay as they make to leave the classroom, but the Fairy Godmother's voice stops them yet again.

"Children," she calls.

Mal scowls, muttering a curse under her breath as well as the words 'I am _not_ a child,' before turning back with an open expression. Carlos turns back as well, and instantly feels dread at the expression on the woman's face. It's that slightly pained motherly look that always meant something bad was going to happen. Cruella often sported that look just before doling out a punishment, usually along with the promise that it hurt her more than it hurt him.

"Before you go, it has come to my attention that some of you are injured, and so I have been asked to examine you for your well-being."

There had never been a more dangerous phrase than 'for your own good,' and Carlos barely manages to contain his shivering. He wedges himself further behind Jay, who was about as stiff as the gargoyles on top of Maleficent's castle. Mal herself moves to the front of the group, frowning as she repeats: "Examine?"

She must have heard the hint of danger in Mal's tone, because the Fairy Godmother blanches slightly before hurriedly explaining. "Nothing invasive, of course! Just a simple magic spell, to check for any injuries and heal them if necessary."

"Thank you," Mal says, and though the words come easier to her than the rest of them, they still sound stiff and too polite. "But that won't be necessary."

She smiles, and Carlos shivers to see it because it looks just like Maleficent's. It doesn't seem to affect the Fairy Godmother as much, or maybe she's just magically protected herself from being influenced by evil. Carlos thinks it might be the latter, given the way she still seems to be expecting something from them. He inches his hand over and tugs at the edge of Mal's leather shirt. He starts to sign, but Evie stiffens suddenly, her eyes flickering as she draws a quick breath.

"Mal," she whispers, and Carlos looks up with Mal to see Evie, pale as she leans one handedly against the desk beside them.

It would be a casual pose, if it weren't for the pain he can see etched in the lines around her eyes. He knows Mal sees it too because she grimaces, and sighs in resignation as she turns back to the Fairy Godmother.

"Alright," she concedes, and Carlos feels a deep pang of fear as he takes in that motherly smile.

"Evie, dear," Fairy Godmother says gently. "If you would follow me?"

She gestures towards the hidden door behind the podium that she had entered through, and Evie glances back at Mal. Mal nods once, her eyes sharp and calculating as she watches the Fairy Godmother lead her away. Only once they've both left the room does the long awaited explosion start. Jay slams his hand down against the nearest desk, cursing furiously. Carlos cringes back from the anger he's radiating, retreating closer to Mal, who drops all pretenses of the cold and fearless leader and begins pacing, eyes bright as she watches the door.

"What the hell was that, Mal?" Jay growls, his own eyes dark and fierce.

Carlos backs away another step, itching to run, but keeping his eyes on Mal. She paces a few more feet, ignoring Jay. He doesn't take kindly to the silence, and he crosses the space and forces himself into Mal's path. She jerks her head up sharply, and Carlos shrinks even further as her eyes flicker with green light.

"What. The Hell. Mal." Jay repeats lowly.

"Jay," Carlos whispers anxiously, but Mal holds up a hand, and he winces, falling silent.

"She wouldn't have made it," Mal says simply, and though her voice is casual, her eyes are still sharp.

"Bull!" Jay snaps, and Carlos shuffles anxiously, his eyes darting to the door.

"Jay," he whispers again, desperately trying to derail things before it escalated.

"Carlos," Mal says, and he knows from her tone that his input was not wanted in this conversation. He bites the inside of his lip hard and backs away quickly, watching nervously from a few desks away. He knows Jay's anger is more about the lesson than actual anger at Mal, but he also knows first-hand that Jay's temper is nothing to be trifled with. Then again, neither was Mal's.

"Jay," Mal continues once Carlos was out of the way. "You know as well as I do that Evie wouldn't have lasted any longer, and even though we're trying to fit in, our ultimate goal is getting that wand. And we can't do that if we're hurt."

"Picking off the weakest link, then?" Jay challenges bitterly.

Something dangerous lights in Mal's eyes then, and Carlos is just beginning to debate diving under a desk for shelter, when the back door opens and footsteps echo. Mal and Jay both straighten, though Mal glares sharply at Jay, making a loose fist shape with her hand; her fingers folded over her palm and her thumb pressed tightly to the side of her index finger. She brushes her thumb along the underside of her chin, shaking her head once before opening her hands and placing them in front of her, palms up and facing her. She then twists her hands once in a short motion before dropping them quickly to her sides as Evie and Fairy Godmother make their appearance.

[Not over.]

Jay nods stiffly, his own eyes narrowed before he brings his attention back to Evie. Fairy Godmother pauses, seeming to take in the collective tension before she notices Carlos's position near the back half of the room. He freezes, praying she doesn't pick him next, but she turns to Jay, and he brushes past Mal before following the teacher out of the room.

Evie was still slightly pale, and breathless as she sits back down at a desk, but the pain is gone from her eyes, and her soft smile is genuine. At least, until she notices the scowl on Mal's face.

"What happened?" Evie asks, and Carlos isn't quite sure who she's asking, but Mal answers anyway, saving him the effort.

"Nothing. How did it go?"

Evie falters at Mal's short tone, and raises an eyebrow at Carlos. He shakes his head, silently warning her not to ask, and she turns back to Mal.

"It was ok," she says slowly. "It didn't hurt or anything, but…." She drops her eyes to the table top, and both Carlos and Mal straighten, Carlos hurrying forward so he was closer to hear.

"But?" Mal presses, and Evie purses her lips.

"She kept asking questions," Evie continues quietly. "Wondering how it happened, and what sort of things happened on the Isle to cause it."

"Oh." Mal's voice is dangerously blank, and Evie grimaces as she looks up at them.

"I didn't say anything, Mal; I'm not stupid. And she gave up when I didn't answer after a while. But I think she suspects-"

Evie's words are cut short when the door opens again, and Jay comes out, scowl still in place. It softens when he sees Evie, but instantly hardens when he catches Mal's eye. The Fairy Godmother is a little pale herself, but she composes herself and smiles…at Carlos.

"Carlos, dear," she says, and Evie stands abruptly, both Mal and Jay instinctively shifting closer to him.

The look on Fairy Godmother's face is a mix of confusion and concern at their actions, and although Carlos is grateful for their help, he knows it will raise even more questions, none of which he could answer. He taps Mal on the shoulder and silently mouths, 'It's ok,' when she looks at him. She doesn't look happy, but she lets him go, and he makes his way across the room towards the Fairy Godmother.

The walk to the back room is the longest he's ever made, and he has a horrible flashback to a different place; a different time and a different person; but the similarities were there, and he has to fight the swell of panic that threatens to drown him in the memories of pain.

The room is small, and only has one wooden desk along the back wall. The rest of the space is filled with books, and the walls are decorated in the Auradon colors, and littered with what he assumes are supposed to be inspirational quotes and posters. He focuses on one: a sky blue background, with the picture of a lion cub hanging precariously from a dead tree branch. The cub is smiling, and the words **Hang in there!** are written just below him.

It's a disturbing picture, Carlos thinks. The cub should be screaming for help, given the stampede of deer below him. Maybe he was, and his situation had just been twisted around to provide some sort of entertainment. He shivers, feeling like he was going through the same thing; that his place here in Auradon was just one small twisted piece in a much larger plan.

The door clicks closed behind him and he flinches, jarred from his thoughts. He turns to face Fairy Godmother, but she's already walking towards him, and he turns back quickly, dropping his gaze to the floor out of instinct.

"Alright Carlos," she says, and he can imagine the smile on her face even without seeing it. "I promise this won't hurt a bit."

He's heard that before, but he doesn't dare lift his head. He can hear her moving somewhere in front of him, and then he feels a slight tickle, like tiny invisible fingers are brushing along his body. He shivers again, grimacing at the uncomfortable feeling. Instantly the feeling stops, and the Fairy Godmother speaks up.

"Does that hurt?"

It's so strange to be asked, and in a way that seems genuine and not just a sadistic way to determine how much more pain he could stand. He's so surprised by it that he almost blurts out an audible response, and he only just manages to contain himself, shaking his head and fiddling with his dog tail nervously.

"Let me know if it does start to hurt, alright dear?" She says, and he nods shakily.

The tiny hands resume their strange poking, and Carlos distracts himself by scanning the other posters. There's one with a crab that says **'The seaweed is always greener in someone else's lake.'** He doesn't understand it at all, and he frowns, staring at another that just has a cloud on it and says **'Reach for the sky!'** He's not sure if it's meant to be a threat, or an actual goal to be reached for. He'd just started reading one about life being better with smiles and songs when the tickling feeling stops, and he blinks, tearing his eyes away from the disturbing pictures.

"Well, Carlos," he hears at last. "You're good to go."

He feels an amused smile pull at his lips, and he keeps his head firmly lowered to avoid detection. He was far from 'good,' but he supposes it could have gone worse.

"I'm pleased to say that I didn't find any obvious injuries," the Fairy Godmother continues, and something in her voice makes him tense. "Although I did notice several older ones that might not have healed quite right."

He doesn't dare to breathe, every muscle taut and ready for some kind of fight or flight reaction. He knows exactly what she's referring to, and he has to remind himself that she thinks he's mute, that he doesn't have to worry about questions and answering them.

"I can't help but wonder….."

He pales, debating if he should just run now, but then she catches herself, and he hears the door open behind him.

"Never mind, dear," she says, and he gasps softly in relief, practically running past her and back to his group, free of the confines of the smaller space.

Jay and Evie stand when he appears, and Mal stops pacing, relief evident in all of their faces. He makes his way through the desks and wedges himself firmly between Jay and Evie, and only then does he let himself fully relax. Jay frowns down at him, an eyebrow lifting in curiosity.

"You ok?" Jay mutters, and he nods.

He makes a 'five' shape with his hands, touching his thumb to his chest before continuing; making a 'C' shape with his left hand close to his cheek, then bringing it against the upright palm of his right hand; finishing by lifting his left hand in a 'C' shape, then bringing his hand down in front of his face until it was level with his chest and the 'C' was now facing the ground.

[Fine. Pictures are strange/freaky.]

"Aw, poor pup," Jay laughs, hooking his arm around Carlos' neck and pinning him to his chest, viciously ruffling his hair with his fist. "Did all those horribly cheerful pictures scare you?"

Carlos flounders helplessly, his protests choked by Jay's biceps. He can vaguely see Evie, shaking her head and trying to pretend they don't exist, but Mal is giving them both a death glare, and Carlos struggles even harder to free himself. Jay is relentless, but Carlos finally succeeds in elbowing the larger boy hard in his ribs, and Jay pulls away, shoving Carlos for good measure.

Carlos scowls, panting as he catches his breath, his cheeks flushed as he tries to fix his hair. Jay was still doubled over laughing, and Carlos growls, kicking Jay's chair out from under him. He falls with a very satisfying crash, and it's Carlos' turn to laugh as he gains the upper hand.

Jay looks up at him, a positively evil glower on his face as he signs; his index finger and thumb pressed together in a circular shape, and his remaining three fingers straight out, pressed tightly against each other, the 'circle' part of his hand facing Carlos.

[Asshole.]

Carlos smirks, still snickering as he signs back; his index and middle finger in an inverted 'k' shape, with his thumb just visible between the two. He taps the tip of his middle finger against the tip of his nose before bringing his hand out into a modified version of Jay's sign; his thumb and index finger in a circle, but with the other three fingers separated from each other.

[Piss/Fuck off.]

Jay launches himself up from the floor, and Carlos is certain he's about to die when the Fairy Godmother clears her throat sharply from the front of the room.

"Gentlemen," she says, and Carlos turns to see her frowning in disapproval at both of them. "I do not appreciate that kind of language in my classroom."

They all freeze, and Carlos can feel the collective gazes of the group, but he can't help but stare at the Fairy Godmother, his mouth open in shock. He blinks, and then signs; pointing first to her, then bringing his hand up close to his temple in a fist, palm back. He then quickly lifts his index finger; like an 'ah ha!' moment, before lowering his hand and pointing at himself.

[You understand me?]

He feels a strange twisting rush in his stomach that he thinks might be panic, but then morphs into a kind of elation. He signs again; pointing to her, then repeating the 'ah ha' sign; ending by gesturing with his index fingers pointed towards each other at a slight angle, backpedaling them over each other a few times.

[You understand sign language?]

"Yes, Carlos," she says with another patient smile, but he can see the tightness around her eyes that tells him it might not be so patient if she's pushed any further. "I do know sign language, to be able to reach all of my students. And if you prefer to sign in class rather than write, I see no reason why you shouldn't; and I will be sure to inform the other teachers as well so they are prepared."

They're all a bit speechless, though he can see Mal narrowing her eyes, and Jay too is staring with a frown. He knows he should probably consider as well, that nothing came for free and he should figure out what this will cost him before accepting. But he finds himself nodding, face flushing slightly as he signs; pressing the tips of his fingers to his lips with his palm facing him, and pushing out towards the Fairy Godmother.

[Thank you.]

"You're very welcome, dear," she says. "Though I don't want to see language like that again, is that understood?"

He nods again, holding his right hand in a fist at about waist level, index finger extended; he then makes the same hand shape with his raised left hand, and brings his left hand down onto his right, fingers at an angle to each other.

[Right.]

Satisfied that order had been restored, Fairy Godmother leads Mal off to the other room, and it's Jay's turn to pace in her absence. Carlos just sits with Evie, still a little mystified by everything that had happened so far, and wondering just what else they would face in a world where everything was made to be perfect. It's a strange sort of hope, but he can't help but think that maybe this could be a chance for something different. Something...good, if he dares to wish it. Of course, having thought that, he should have been better prepared for being proven wrong.

* * *

Ben

Watching the Villain Kids enter Fairy Godmother's classroom was like watching Audrey enter a store for a sale; nerve wracking, terrifying and chaotic, as he wondered if he'd ever see her alive again. He can't help but feel like he's sending them to their doom, and he has to tear himself away and focus on his own classes. But it's hard, his thoughts constantly drifting to the new arrivals, rethinking and analyzing every bit of information he's gleaned.

They were close, a very obvious and solid bond between them. It's a strange idea that villains could form more than just temporary alliances. When he'd chosen them, Ben had noted from their folders that they weren't often seen separate from each other; which was part of his reasons for choosing them. He had hoped that with their established bond, and if he kept them together, there would be a greater chance for them to be open to the ways of Auradon; if they could face it as a team rather than individuals with nothing in common.

And yet, he'd been so unprepared for what his decree had brought, and he finds himself thinking that maybe his father had been right and he was taking on more than he could handle. But he had made his decision-promised the Villain Kids a chance, and if his mother could see good in a hopeless situation, then so could he. He hoped so, anyway.

When the bell rings at the end of class, he's one of the first out of his seat, and he quickly makes his way down the hall towards Fairy Godmother's class. The door to the room bursts open before he quite reaches it, and the Villain Kids stride out; Mal in the lead, then Evie, followed by Carlos, and with Jay bringing up the rear. Jay is laughing about something, teasing Carlos, but they all quiet when he approaches. He notices with no slight displeasure that Jay is once again the only one to meet his gaze head on, the others all lowering their heads as if the floor is more interesting than his face.

"Hi," Ben says awkwardly, and Jay lifts his chin in a short nod.

"Hey," he says, and again Ben feels its resemblance to a challenge.

"So," Ben drawls. "What did you think of your first class?"

"Oh it was great," Jay says, nodding enthusiastically, and Ben gets the feeling he's not enthusiastic about it at all. "I especially enjoyed learning all the various methods of smiling politely."

To demonstrate, he grins broadly at Ben, who shuffles anxiously, suspecting that he's missed something in this conversation and the other boy is in fact, threatening him. He's saved by Mal, who snorts quietly at the ground, a smirk playing on her lips as she chimes in.

"It could have gone worse."

The rest of the kids all nod at that, even Carlos, and Ben feels a bit of excitement, thinking that maybe there's hope for getting the boy to open up after all. He smiles at them, allowing himself an amused chuckle.

"Well, I suppose that's all we can really hope for," he teases, and he thinks he catches Mal smirk at him this time, but he doesn't dare turn his head to confirm and ruin the moment.

"The schedule will probably be a little different tomorrow," he adds. "You'll have Goodness class first in the morning and then continue with the rest of your classes. We've divided you up, but you'll be in pairs for some of them; Mal and Evie will have a chemistry lab in the afternoon while Jay and Carlos have biology."

"I'm guessing that's where you want us to go next?" Jay says, rolling his eyes, and Ben nods, pleased that he picked up on it despite the attitude. He's about to show them the way when the classroom door opens behind them, and Fairy Godmother steps out into the hall.

"Oh Ben, there you are," she gasps. "I'd like to speak with you if you have a moment." She glances towards the Villain Kids, and he nods his understanding.

"Sure," he agrees quickly, turning back to the kids. "Sciences are on the next level," Ben directs, motioning towards a board at the opposite end of the hall. "The map there can give you specific directions, and I'll catch up with you in a bit, ok?"

"Ok," Jay drawls, and the others nod, departing quickly and quietly, almost in unison.

Ben shakes his head at the strange formation they seem to be making, before bracing himself and entering Fairy Godmother's classroom. The Headmistress herself is erasing the chalkboard atop her platform, and he catches a partial glimpse of one of the questions; using something for good, before it's gone in an ashy smear. Fairy Godmother looks up as the door closes behind him, and although she smiles, he knows this is going to be a 'serious' conversation.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Ben," Fairy Godmother acknowledges, and he instinctively adopts a more formal tone himself.

"Of course," he says, inclining his head. "I take it this is about our new arrivals?"

She nods, and gestures him towards a seat. He moves forward and sits, and she joins him at the table, folding her hands on top of the desk.

"How did they do?" he asks worriedly. "They didn't cause any trouble, did they?" Ironic, he thinks briefly.

"Oh no, they did remarkably well," she assures. "I did however want to address some...concerns I had."

He purses his lips, but nods for her to continue.

"I did a brief magical examination, as requested, and I noticed there were several varying injuries, all of them older, but a lot of broken bones."

He frowns, his brow furrowing. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions, but the idea is still there; that something wasn't quite right. "Life on the Isle must be rough compared to ours," he offers instead, and Fairy Godmother nods, pursing her lips.

"But their behavior was very strange," she says. "I only managed to make it through half of my questions for them, and their answers were interesting, to say the least. Jay became upset when asked about a magic lamp. He made a remark about searching for a lamp his whole life, but said that if he ever did find one, he would hide it."

"To use for himself?" Ben guesses, but Fairy Godmother shakes her head.

"So no one could use it, including his father."

Ben raises his eyebrows, surprised. "And Carlos?" He prompts.

"He seemed of the belief that dogs are evil," she replies.

"That...is interesting," he says, and Fairy Godmother hums her own agreement.

"There was some rough housing from the boys," she offers. "Though I did expect some kind of ruckus. Although, I did discover that Carlos knows sign language."

"Really?" That caught Ben off guard, and he leans forward intently.

"I've told him he is free to sign in class if he wishes, and I've been informing the other teachers and members of staff, so they can be better prepared to incorporate him in class."

Ben nods his approval, then sits back in his chair with a sigh, puzzling over all this information. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of them," he admits. "They're not quite at all how I expected them to be."

"I have the feeling we have a lot to learn about these children," Fairy Godmother says. "Time will only tell just what that will entail."

"Yeah," Ben mutters. "We will see."

"Oh, don't look so worried, dear," she chides. "I think it's an admirable thing you're trying to do, and remember 'Success isn't final, and failure isn't fatal. It's the courage that matters.'"

He thanks her for the advice and hurries to catch up to the Villain Kids as the first bell for the next class rings above. He had plenty of courage; a combination of his 'beastly' heritage and his mother's sheer force of will- or so he'd been told. He only hoped that would be enough, though he couldn't help but feel that even if his failure wasn't fatal, he owed it to the Villain Kids to show them that they could be more than just villains. For their sake, and maybe, even, for the entire kingdom.


	4. Too late to make demands

**Hey guys! Hope this isn't too late of an update for you, as it's midnight where I am now. I just finished the chapter and thought, well now would be a good time to go to bed, and I can post this tomorrow. And then I thought, well technically it is tomorrow, and why waste a good opportunity? So, here it is! :)**

 **To my reviews! (There's a lot so feel free to skip to my Author's Note.)**

 **Guest1: I'm glad you're enjoying, here's the update!**

 **Tiredandlazy: Aw, thank you so much! That means a lot to hear you think so highly of this story, though I can't take all the credit. Be sure to share the love with the original author too! :) And yes, that was definitely one of my favorite parts to write. ;)**

 **anonimo: Me alegro de que estés disfrutando esto tanto! Aquí hay otro capítulo para usted.**

 **Guest2: Thank you for the review! Here's the latest chapter.**

 **jordynhanna2005: I am following the movie canon for this story, so no, Mal and Carlos won't be couple in this. Sorry to dissapoint. But I hope you'll continue reading despite that!**

 **Guest3: I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! And don't worry, I'll be getting into the backstory for all of the VKs, so keep reading!**

 **Forever-Furuba: They are weird, though! ;)**

 **Rowan: Thank you for the kind words. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Shadow Phoenix-Dragon: The update is here! :)**

 **keirstinpaige: Aw, it's always great that someone loves my stories! Thank you!**

 **Kameron the God of Fairytales: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying and I hope you continue to do so. :)**

 **theNiceDevil: More is here. I hope I haven't kept you waiting long!**

 **HorsesInMySoul: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story sooo much! ;) Don't worry, I don't plan to stop anytime soon.**

* * *

 **Whew! Ok, onto the Notes!**

 **Again, to my remaining Guests, make sure to leave some kind of nickname. It feels so insensitive just calling you Guest. :)**

 **Author's Note, this chapter contains a cameo/callback to a teacher character in another Disney movie. I left some clues for you to figure it out (though the teacher's name may be a giveaway with Google). I look forward to your guesses! ;)**

 **Author's Note 2, POV shift! The horizontal line halfway through is for a time skip, though I made sure to still include the POV to make it clear.**

 **Author's Note 3, Warnings as this chapter contains: Language. Mild abuse by a teacher towards a student. Mild violence and bullying. A brief scientific lesson. Also more signing, so yay! LANGUAGE! Reader discretion is advised.**

 **(And forgive any typos or grammar as again, it is well after midnight.) Thanks!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Kropp

Benjamin R. Kropp liked to consider himself a patient man. Teaching a school full of junior Princes, Princesses, warriors, and other nobility and hero types did require a certain temperament; and, after all, it was in his blood. His father, Bernie Kropp, had once been teacher to a certain blond haired youth that had been notorious for his trouble making skills; somehow managing to get a tack on his father's chair without being caught. And on camera, too! It was a tale passed throughout the family, even to this day, as a reminder to always be watchful, and to never lose control. It gave the students the upper hand.

He was pleased to say that none of his students had managed to give him any cause to worry, although he made certain to run his classroom strictly and efficiently to keep it that way. They had all been raised right, his students, and he had yet to lose his temper.

And so, when Prince Ben had announced that he was allowing _villains_ to attend Auradon Prep, well, he had to admit he had been more than shocked. It didn't matter to him if they were children, they were still inherently evil. He was even further appalled when he'd learned that he would be expected to teach them, as well. The thought of it! Villains, in his class!

But he could not disrespect the young Prince by refusing, and so it is that he finds himself standing at the front of his classroom eyeing each student nervously as they enter and trying to pick them out from the crowd. Only two of the four the Prince had chosen would be attending his class, he'd been assured: the son of Jafar, and the son of Cruella de Vil. Not much of a reassurance, he thinks. Considering their heritage. And the de Vil boy, in particular…he would need to watch out for.

The remainder of his students shuffle in just as the final bell rings, but before the door can fully shut it's slammed open again, and two teenaged boys stumble into the room. He needn't have worried so much about finding them in a crowd. Even despite their late entrance, it is quite obvious who they are.

They have a wild, shifty look in their dark eyes, for one. And, for another, they aren't wearing uniforms. The son of Jafar is clad in loose dark jeans, chains dangling from the pockets, his black combat style boots so very different from the polished dress shoes of his peers. His shirt is a faded red with no sleeves, and is covered by a leather jacket in varying shades of red and gold. The de Vil boy is wearing dark pants that are cut halfway up the leg with white stripes, and his shirt is black, covered with a leather jacket that is black on one side and white on the other, and when the boy turns around Kropp can see that the entire back of it is red, and lined with fur.

He frowns at the attire, certain that they had been given uniforms to wear. He makes a note to address them about it, and then clears his throat, drawing the class' attention to him.

"Thank you for deciding to join us, gentlemen," he says stiffly. "If you would be so kind as to take your seats, so we may begin class?"

Kropp notices that while Jafar's son comes to some sort of attention and nods at his words, the de Vil boy stiffens and looks away, as though he couldn't be bothered to pay attention. Yes, he would need to keep a very close eye on him, indeed.

* * *

Jay

It was Carlos' idea, the race to class. The first warning bell had just rung above them, and they're forced to duck into a side alcove to avoid the throngs of rushing princes and princesses. Jay wants nothing more than to take every advantage of the situation that he can, eyeing each colorful purse enviously as they pass just within his reach. But then Carlos loops his fingers through the chain on Jay's belt, effectively using him as a shield against the masses, and by the time the throng diminishes and the grip on his belt loosens, he's lost his chance of stealing anything.

"Alright, Ben," he mutters, scanning the emptying halls warily. "Any day now."

He feels Carlos tap his shoulder, and he swats at the other boy with blind irritation. Granted, it isn't Carlos' fault; while Jay and crowds generally mixed well, Carlos and crowds…well, Jay was his shield for a reason.

"W-we-we-we're going to be late," Carlos whispers in his ear, tugging at his jacket.

"Yeah, well, Ben's not here yet," Jay grumbles back, crossing his arms and stepping out of the smaller boy's reach. "We don't even know which way we're supposed to go."

Not that he really cares about making it to class. But the plan did involve fitting in, and it would be hard to do that if they weren't even there.

"Armor?" Carlos says, and he turns around to see the other boy standing in front of a suit of armor, poking carefully at its breastplate.

Oh yeah. Ben had mentioned something about that.

"Let me," Jay demands, shoving Carlos aside and rapping at the metal suit with his fist. "Hey, uh, armor dude," he says.

 _'Armor Dude?_ ' Carlos silently mocks beside him, but he ignores it and continues.

"Any chance you…know the way to biology?"

The suit's visor on the helmet lifts, and a hollow, tinny voice rings out. "The Biology classroom is located on the second floor. Proceed down your current hallway to the left and take the stairs to the second floor. The classroom will be the third door down on your right."

Then the helmet slams closed, and the second bell begins to ring resolutely above them. Carlos glances at him, shuffling his feet, and Jay glances back down the empty hall to the room they had come from. Still no Ben. Class had started and they were most likely already late.

"Ok then," Jay decides.

"W-we're going?" Carlos asks softly.

"Might as well, right?" Jay says with a shrug, and Carlos' face breaks into a sly grin.

"Rrace you," he cries in a low voice, and before Jay can even blink, he takes off down the hallway.

"Carlos!" Jay calls after him, but he receives a laugh in response, and he growls a curse under his breath before sprinting after him.

It's not much of a race, really. Jay has the longer legs, and a better sense of direction, and while Carlos can be fast, Jay has endurance. By the time they reach the stairs, Carlos has fallen behind, and Jay easily jogs the rest of the way up the staircase. He pauses at the top, noticing that this hallways is much more crowded than the one below.

Students are still milling about, some of them even entering the classroom they had been looking for. Carlos huffs his way to the top of the stairs, and Jay dashes over, grabbing him before he could try and speak. Carlos yelps in protest, but Jay points to the bustling hall and he pales, nodding as he falls silent.

"Hurry up and catch your breath," Jay warns, nodding towards the door that's just beginning to swing shut.

Carlos straightens quickly, drawing a few slow breaths before nodding, and they rush through the doors only a couple minutes behind the last rush of students. The classroom is smaller than the Goodness room had been, but still spacious enough to hold twenty or so students; all organized in metal rows of desks and chairs, with the entire right wall comprised mostly of large windows.

Jay instantly notes that the only other exit aside from the door they'd entered through is a door beside the teacher's desk at the front of the room. The teacher, Jay also notes, who is glaring at them like they're a particularly disgusting stain he'd scraped from the bottom of his shoe.

"Thank you for deciding to join us gentlemen," the teacher announces, but he says 'gentlemen' like it's the worst insult he can think of. "If you would be so kind as to take your seats, so we may begin class?"

Kind, Jay thinks to himself. Really? But he realizes that the entire class is looking at them, and he _knows_ that disdainful look the teacher is giving them. He straightens as respectfully as he can and nods, grabbing Carlos' wrist and leading him to the only two empty seats, as the other boy had lowered his gaze the moment the teacher had started speaking.

Their seats are in the middle of the classroom, but all the way to the right by the windows. It wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that the desks are like metal prison boxes, and shoved so closely to the wall that there's almost no hope of making a quick getaway in either direction. He looks up at the teacher, and can tell by the satisfied look on the man's face that it had been an intentional move, and Jay has to fight to keep from scowling back. So he was one of _those_ teachers? Well there had been plenty of teachers like him on the Isle, Jay knew how to deal with teachers like this.

"Thank you," the man says stiffly. "My name is Mr. Kropp," he introduces himself, pointing to the whiteboard on the wall behind him, where his name and brief lesson plan is written in blue. "And let me assure you all right now, I will not tolerate any kind of shenanigans or hijinks in my classroom."

Carlos chuckles quietly beside him, and even Jay feels his lips twitch at the man's choice of words. Did he not realize how ridiculous it made him sound?

"Which _means_ ," Mr. Kropp snaps shortly. "Carlos."

Jay stiffens, and Carlos flinches, head firmly lowered and eyes glued to the desk.

"It is my understanding that you do not talk. Now, I must know, is it simply due to a lack of capability, or a lack of will?"

Jay clenches his hands into fists under the table, eyes narrow as he glares at the man. He did _not_ just say that! Carlos is shaking, and Jay can't tell if it's anger or fear as he writes in his notepad before displaying it to the teacher; and the rest of the class.

 _I'm not lazy, Sir._

Jay smirks to himself at the particular way Carlos had underlined the word 'sir.' Who said you can't be sarcastic in writing? Mr. Kropp (what kind of name was that, anyway) narrows his eyes at them as though he'd read into the sarcasm as well, and Jay quickly wipes his face into a neutral expression.

"Well, then Mr. de Vil," the teacher responds coldly. "I will expect you to _participate_ in class, is that understood?"

Jay has to fight to keep from leaping to his feet, anger churning through him as Carlos pales considerably, his hands shaking as he writes on his pad.

 _Sir, Fairy Godmother had said that I would be allowed to sign in class._

"Yes, well, I am not the Fairy Godmother," Mr. Kropp sniffs, and Jay's hands tremble in fists beneath the table. "And in _my_ class, I expect full participation from all of my students. I will not coddle you, as I've no doubt you are used to…"

Jay feels a shock go through his body, and Carlos jerks, as though he'd been struck. He's blinking hard, and Jay is struggling with every fiber of his being to _not_ snap and break something.

"…I will make no special accommodations," Mr. Kropp finishes, glaring firmly at Carlos. "Is that understood, Mr. de Vil?"

The entire class is staring now, and Jay can see varying emotions reflected on their faces. Some share the same smug disdain as the teacher, while others look curious, though the majority is something close to disgust and fear.

Jay looks to Carlos and sees that his leg his bouncing up and down, the heel of his sneaker clicking silently against the leg of his chair. One of many nervous tics the boy had acquired over time, and a sure warning sign to just how badly he would stutter when he finally opened his mouth. Jay tries to catch his attention, to calm him down, but Carlos was already slipping.

"Is that understood?" the teacher repeats, and Jay shoots the man a glare full of undisguised hatred.

Carlos nods shakily beside him, swallowing hard as he tries to work his mouth to speak. Jay feels his breath catch in his throat, silently pleading for the words to come out right. _'Come on, Carlos,'_ he thinks encouragingly. _'Deep breaths. Breathe. Focus.'_

"Ye-" Carlos falters, catches himself, and then tries again, his voice barely a whisper. "Yes Ssir."

Jay breathes a slow breath of relief, but Carlos is still pale, his chin practically tucked to his chest as he waits. Jay knows what he's waiting for, and he looks to the teacher, desperately hoping that the slip wasn't as noticeable as he feared. Clearly it wasn't, because the man simply nods once, and turns back to the board, adding some notes to the ones already written.

The rest of the class settles, turning back to face the front of the room, but Jay notices that one; a pretty Chinese girl that he would definitely flirt with under different circumstances, is still staring at them, a weird look on her face. Jay glares challengingly back at her, and she looks away quickly, pulling a notebook with cherry blossoms decorating the cover from her bag.

Carlos slumps in his chair beside him, and Jay nudges him discreetly, glancing over worriedly. Carlos barely raises his head enough to meet Jay's eyes, but he can still see the panic echoing there, and Jay subtly signs; making 'five' shapes with both of his hands, pressing them to his chest with one just above the other; lifting them away from his body in an expanding motion before bringing them back against his chest.

[Breathe.]

"It's ok," Jay whispers to him. "It'll be ok."

Carlos just shakes his head, staring miserably at the textbook on the desk in front of him. His foot is still anxiously tapping against his chair, and it would have been annoying if Jay wasn't so worried. Not. That he'd ever admit that.

"Now that we're all settled," Mr. Kropp announces from the front of the room. "I'd like you all to turn to Section Five of your textbooks; page 394. We will begin with a simple introduction of genetics."

Simple, Jay thought incredulously. The very first thing he was met with when he turned to page 394 was a complicated looking diagram, detailing the process of reproduction and just how to determine which traits were passed from parent to offspring. He hopes Carlos can decipher it, because he can't for the life of him figure it out.

"What you see before you is a Punnett square diagram," Mr. Kropp intones from the front of the room. Jay looks up to see that the teacher has drawn another version of the diagram on the whiteboard, though this one is blank.

"This diagram was created by a man named Reginald Punnett," Mr. Kropp continues. "Developed from a theory created by a man named Mendal; detailing the concept of Mendelian Inheritance."

And…Jay is officially lost. He stares dully out the windows, envying the students he can see milling about on the lawns and in the gardens outside. He almost wishes he was back on the Isle. Despite the harsh life and the cruelties of the world, it was a world he could make sense of. He doesn't belong here, surrounded by perfect princes and princesses in training, learning about genetics and inheritance.

He watches Carlos scratching out notes in his book, his nerves still acting up and making his hand jerk minutely as he writes. Jay watches the frustration grow on Carlos' face with mild amusement, and he perks up, a slow smile spreading on his face as he gets an idea. He leans over casually, his elbow lined up with Carlos' arm, and just when he starts to write, Jay knocks into him; causing Carlos to jerk, the point of his pencil snapping audibly as a thick dark line smears across the page.

"Jay!" Carlos cries angrily, and Jay is too busy attempting to conceal his laughter to notice the sudden silence in the classroom.

"Is there a problem, Mr. de Vil?" Mr. Kropp asks, and both boys straighten, wiping their faces into blank masks.

"N-n-n-o Sir," Carlos mutters, flushing as the 'n' sticks in his throat. Jay grimaces, regretting his prank instantly as he watches the teacher's eyes narrow.

"Really?" he says, skeptically. "Then perhaps you would like to share your thoughts with the class. Based on the theories that Mendel and the Punnett square illustrate, what is the likelihood that such things also apply to certain characteristics between parent and offspring?"

"Ssir?" Carlos asks, his voice a squeak above a whisper.

"For example," the teacher clarifies, and there's a certain gleam in his eyes that had Jay on edge, watching carefully as he speaks. "The odds of a child being inherently good, or inherently evil, based solely on their parentage."

There it was. Jay had known there was something about this teacher, but he was surprised at the level of hatred and disdain the man seemed to be radiating. It was almost impressive, really, considering that Auradon was supposedly so open and friendly. But Carlos is far from impressed, and Jay tries to sign again, to let him know that it was ok. Carlos stands slowly, his hands fidgeting with the chain links attached to his dog tail, eyes fixed somewhere near the floor.

"I think, wh-whi-whi-while it's possible for someone to be ggood or bbad based on ge-gennnetics, wh-who they are as a p-erson is decided by them."

Jay clenches and unclenches his hands slowly under the table, trying to take deep breaths as scattered laughter and snickering goes up from the class. Carlos flushes and tries to take his seat again, but Mr. Kropp holds up a hand, silencing the class and pausing Carlos in his tracks.

"Would you care to clarify on that?" The man questions, adjusting his wire framed glasses minutely. "Preferably without the added sound effects."

Another small scattering of laughter meets this suggestion, but Jay is grim and frowning, biting the inside of his cheek as he watches Carlos attempt to keep his words in check.

"Science can't deter-determine wh-o someone is," Carlos says slowly, each word tight as he struggles to keep control. "They may be predi-predis... more inclined towards something based on genetics, bu-bu-but I don't think it's fair to pin something so-olely on that."

He sits down quickly when he finishes, drawing a shaky breath and doing a better job than Jay at ignoring the chuckling and whispers that his choppy speech brings. The teacher frowns, though Jay hadn't seen him do anything other than frown since they had entered the classroom.

"Thank you, Mr. de Vil," the man drawls slowly. "For that _interesting_ view point. However, I do not appreciate the mockery; any further disruptions will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?" His eyes narrow pointedly.

Carlos nods, his gaze once more glued to his book, but there's a hard set to his jaw, seeming to cast a shadow across his entire face. Jay knows that look; it's the look that earned Carlos the reputation as "callous" back on the Isle. It's that look he gets when betraying his true emotions or feelings would get him killed. They all have their own versions of that look, but Carlos in particular had mastered it especially well, and it was down right chilling if you didn't know any better.

The teacher notices the look on his face and raises an eyebrow, as though _he_ were the innocent one, while Jay seethes silently, wishing he had a pencil or something that could _break_ in his hands right now.

"Is there a problem?" Mr. Kropp asks, and Jay fights to keep his words level, and free of curses as he answers.

"No Sir," he says stiffly.

"Then shall we continue with the rest of the lesson? Unless there is something you wanted to add?" Mr. Kropp glances at them expectantly, and Jay shakes his head once sharply.

"No Sir," he repeats.

"Carlos?"

Jay sees Carlos start to shake his head, but then the look on his face shifts, hardening even further, and Jay braces himself as he begins to speak.

"It's not exa-exactly something I can control, Sssir," Carlos says quietly, and the whole class in on edge at his tone; respectful, but low and intense.

"I beg your pardon?" Mr. Kropp has his own tone, and Jay grimaces.

Well, fuck.

"I hhhave a st-stu-stutter," Carlos explains tightly, his eyes flickering briefly as he slips before regaining their hard cast. "I-I-I'm not being disrrrespectful; my brain's just re-refusing to cooperate. I can't cont-rol it."

Jay sees genuine surprise reflecting in some of the students' faces, but still others adopt a sly sort of sneer, or else continue to stare in disdain; as though they still hate the villain, even if he can't talk right. Mr. Kropp, however, has a steely look in his eyes, and Jay grits his jaw nervously. It's that look of a teacher who doesn't care what sort of problems his students have, he'll have order, without question.

"Well, Mr. de Vil," he says, and Jay sees the shiver pass though Carlos' body, stealing his defenses with it. "I suggest you find a way to _make_ your brain cooperate. I will not have the rest of my students suffer due to your lack of control, and I will not cater to the whims of a villain."

Jay and Carlos both flinch, the smaller boy a shell threatening to shatter under the force of the teacher's words. The class is deathly still; a collective breath waiting to be released.

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Carlos whispers shakily, and there's a smug sort of satisfaction that crosses the teacher's face before he resumes his previous position.

"Now then, let's continue with the Three Laws of Mendel's Inheritance theory..."

Well _fuck._

* * *

Jay

The bell couldn't have run fast enough, and Jay is certain the rest of the class feels that way as well, as everyone lurches to their feet and scrambles desperately to get their things together. Jay slips smoothly from his chair, but he hovers, leaning easily against the metal desk and waiting for Carlos. The other boy is quiet, and his 'callous' look is back, but his eyes shine with emotion, and Jay knows the minute they reach their room that he's going to retreat again.

"You ok?" he mutters as they finally leave the classroom, following the herd of students outside and onto the sprawling green lawns.

"Perfect," Carlos bites back, but he's not looking at Jay. He's staring anxiously across the yard to a section of picnic benches, where a small crowd is obviously waiting.

Jay scans the surrounding area, and realizes that there's no going around them, only through them. He frowns, his eyes narrowing in displeasure as he counts the crowd. "We can always go back," he suggests.

"Weak," Carlos mumbles, and Jay scowls.

"It's not weak; it's self preservation."

Carlos scoffs bitterly, and Jay knows he'd read through the lie. Jay would do just fine in a confrontation, and in the fight that would surely follow. Carlos was the real thing to being protected, and they both knew it.

"Dorms are pa-past them, an-an-anyway," Carlos grumbles, and Jay nods in grim resignation as he realizes it's true.

"What do you want to do then?" he asks, turning to face the other boy, and Carlos hesitates before signing; tapping his chin twice with a 'four' hand shape; then touching his forehead with his index finger, swinging the tip of his finger forward; finishing with a point to himself.

[Talk for me.]

"You sure?" he starts to ask, but Carlos is already striding across the lawn, and Jay shakes his head. "Fucking shit."

He quickly overtakes Carlos' shorter strides, but lets the other boy take the lead. Most of the students part and stumble out of their way, but there are those who close in further, staring in either curiosity or disdain. And the whispering doesn't stop; Jay glares each time he catches a sound, but the silence only lasts a few moments before the comments return. Carlos, for his part, does better at remaining unaffected. Until a certain smaller group of students breaks from the crowd, snickering as they block their way.

Jay instantly tenses, hands clenching into fists, but Carlos remains calm, staring coolly up at a boy with sandy brown hair, grey eyes, and sharp features that would have been handsome if it weren't for the sneer twisting his face. One of the boys in his group slams roughly into Carlos' shoulder, knocking the newly acquired textbooks from his hands, and spilling his bag across the lawn.

"Oops," the boy says, and the handsome kid moves forward, stooping to pick up the books. His actions are polite, but the look on his face is anything but; a mocking imitation of concern as he straightens and looks at Carlos.

"Oh, I'm suh-suh-sorry," he taunts, exaggerating as he mocks Carlos. "He just can't cuh-cuh-control himself."

Jay growls, and stalks forward, but Carlos is signing; his brows lifted in genuine concern as he points to the boy; then he brings his left palm up and taps it twice in a 'chopping' sort of motion against his right palm.

[You alright?]

"What?" the boy snaps, sneering further. Jay quickly translates, searching Carlos' face for an explanation as he speaks.

"He wants to know if you're alright," he explains, watching as Carlos signs again; pointing at the boy before tapping his ear twice; then bringing his fingers in a flat sort of cupping motion, he taps against his throat.

Jay finds himself grinning as he catches on, and he translates a little easier. "You sound like you're choking."

Some of the other students laugh, but it's at the other boy, who looks flustered before regaining his composure; and his sneer. "No different than you sound, freak."

Carlos' lips twitch a bit sardonically as he signs; a 'C' shape with his hand that he raises, then brings down across his chest; then with a flat palm he makes a sort of 'chop' in the air, before tapping his ear twice; then finishing with a backwards wave motion over his shoulder.

[Freak. Never heard that before.]

Jay laughs as he translates, and Carlos finishes gathering the rest of his things, his own mouth lifted into a cool smile as he faces the tormentors. Jay begins moving with him, preparing to cross the rest of the yard when the boy speaks again.

"You know you have a lot of nerve for a runt whose mom is a psycho."

It's definitely not the worst thing they'd ever heard, but Carlos stops anyway, his smile freezing on his face. He turns his head, his eyes glinting darkly and speaking more volumes than Jay could ever translate. But he does anyway.

"Fuck."

His curse brings startled gasps from some, but the focus is on Carlos and this other boy as they stare each other down.

"Coming here," the boy continues. "With your entourage and your little guard dog here," he jerks his head in Jay's direction. "Thinking that you could just walk on through and we'd all just cower and let you do whatever you want."

"Chad," someone says lowly, but the boy just sneers again.

Carlos is completely 'callous,' now as he turns back fully to face him, but before he can do anything else, two of the other boys from Chad's group rush him. Jay bites back the warning he wants to give, because while the boys are larger than Carlos, they're not fighters. Especially not when Carlos slides under one set of groping arms, using the momentum to grab and twist an arm behind its owner's back; an audible _crack!_ filling the air and signifying a dislocated shoulder. And the second boy all but turns to stone when Carlos pulls his 'claw' from his back pocket: a small but deadly sharp dagger, so named 'Claw' because of its dark color and curved blade.

Carlos takes a challenging step forward and the students nearest him cringe back in terror. He raises an eyebrow at Chad, his lips twitching as though to say: 'You were saying?' Jay gives his own challenging grin from his place just off of Carlos' side, and Chad splutters furiously.

"Freak!" he hisses. "You really are as insane as your mom!"

Carlos' smile drops, his eyes gleaming just as darkly as his blade. The amusement fades from his face, his brows drawn in a way that hardens his expression into a cold and cruel mask.

"Woof," he says harshly, and Jay is certain the no one needs a translation for that.

Bite me.

"Well shit," he mutters with a grin as he takes in the anticipated (and really, predictable) uproar. "This just might be fun after all."


	5. You've got a riot on your hands pt 2

**Hey guys! Hopefully I haven't made you wait too long for this next chapter. Still in the beginning but already things are getting heated. Haha, there's plenty more coming up in this chapter, I'll tell you that. Anyway, on to the reviews!**

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 **anonimo: Me alegro de que pienses que esto es tan bueno. Esperemos que esto sea lo suficientemente rápido de una actualización para usted.**

 **Tiredandlazy: I laughed so hard when I read your review! I'm glad you get so excited over this story, it makes me happy to hear! And originally, I was going to have that confrontation play out differently, but then Carlos decided he was sick of getting kicked around. So, yeah. That happened. ;) And yes, that was Lonnie who was staring.**

 **Rowan: I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Faye: I will definitely be including something like that in the upcoming chapters, so hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy this story.**

 **keirstinpaige: Oh don't you worry, he will be getting his just desserts! *cue evil laughter* ;)**

 **Forever-Furuba: I got so excited when I read your review because I thought, oh my gosh, they totally got it! That's exactly what I was going for, so I'm glad you picked that out. And funny you should mention the singing, because I did in fact know that, and was planning to include that in this story at a later point! ;)** **magiclover222: I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! And don't worry, justice will be swift and painful, haha! And you were the only one who caught the HP reference! :)**

 **Mersang: Your review, along with Forever-Furuba's, made me laugh out loud reading them because you both completely nailed what I was trying to do with this chapter/idea! I always loved the genetics side of biology, and wanted to include it majorly here to help get the point across, and you literally wrote out everything that was going through my head at the time! I will most definitely be having Evie poke holes in his theories, and will shout out to you for the added inspiration! :)**

 **Shadow Phoenix-Dragon: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and think it's so realistic. I am definitely doing my best so it's good to have confirmation I'm doing things right. ;)**

 **ToughGirlsRule: Hopefully you won't miss this one, lol! Yeah, I definitely think Carlos has a badass side, so I made sure to showcase it here. Yeah, I wondered that too when I watched the movie, but I definitely played it up more here. And I didn't realize that sequels weren't canon in Descendants. I had planned to include some references and characters from sequels, but I will be sure to do it now just to be rebellious! ;)**

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 **Ok, so Author's Notes!**

 **More signing! :)**

 **Warnings for language! I'm considering changing the rating to M, since the language is definitely more than T/high T, but let me know if you guys think I need to change it or if I should leave it.**

 **Also warnings for implied panic attacks, as well as mild mentions of violence and abuse. Nothing explicit, though later chapters definitely will be.**

 **This chapter includes two Auradon Descendants, mentioned by name. OCs, but feel free to guess potential parentage. Also, for those who were wondering, Mr. Benjamin Kropp is based on Mr. Bernie Kropp, Dash's teacher in The Incredibles. ;)**

 **And, if anyone has any clever ideas for revenge plots for Chad and the teachers, feel free to share. ;)**

 **I hope you all will continue to read and enjoy, and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Ben

"You'd better come quick."

The words are delivered by a frantic Doug and Lonnie, their eyes wide and full of panic. He tries to ask what's wrong, but a part of him already knows and begins conjuring up scenarios as he runs after them. Audrey rushes up from a hallway and meets him halfway, her eyes flashing and a hard frown on her face.

"Ben," she begins, but he grabs her arm gently and pulls her alongside him midstride.

"I know," he assures her quickly. "We're heading there now."

"You know?" She repeats incredulously, and he starts at her anger. "And you're just now doing something about it?"

He looks to Doug and Lonnie for an explanation, but they but look away, grim looks on their faces.

"I mean," Ben says slowly. "I know there's a situation..."

"That's one word for it," Lonnie mutters from in front.

Ben feels dread coiling in the pit of his stomach as he glances at their expressions. They're all variants of the same thing; fear, worry, and anger. But even the anger is just a front; at least, on Audrey it is, but Lonnie...

"Can someone tell me?" He asks.

Doug answers jerkily. "Jay and Carlos..."

He says their names like...like they're villains, and Ben falters as they near the overpass above the picnic area. He can hear the noise now; a combination of screaming and swearing, and he doesn't know what he wants this to be. To not be.

"It wasn't just them," Lonnie argues. "I was there when it started; when _Chad_ started."

Ben realizes that her anger wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but at the situation in general. But it does little to calm his panic, especially when he steps out onto the overpass and sees what's happening. The green is a mess; students crowding the area, some running in terror and others trying to join the fray.

Picnic tables and benches have been flung up like shields in the places closest to the center of the gathering, while farther out from the group they've been overturned and shoved hastily aside as people retreat. He can make out Chad and a few others from the Tourney team nearest the center, the main force trying to calm the tide; but whether it's by fighting or joining in the panic, Ben can't quite tell.

And there, at the center of it all, is Jay and Carlos. They stand back to back, completely pressed against each other in defensive poses, and even from this distance Ben can see the wild looks in their eyes. They meet each forward press of students with an attack of their own, never retreating, but not openly attacking either. Jay has his hands up in fists close to his face, and something dark glints in Carlos' hands.

"Wait," Ben says, peering closer in horror. "Is that a knife?"

"Dagger," Lonnie corrects, as the rest of his group reach his side. "There's a difference," she insists at their questioning looks, but Ben isn't concerned with what the weapon is or isn't.

"How did he get a knife into Auradon?"

Lonnie sighs in disappointment, shaking her head, but it's Doug who answers, adjusting his glasses to peer sternly at him.

"Well, we didn't exactly do a weapons check when they arrived."

Right, that was on him. He hadn't wanted to make the arrivals any more uncomfortable than they already would have been on entering the kingdom, and at the time, he honestly didn't think such a thing was necessary. A paranoid precaution. He wanted to establish trust.

And that trust was the very thing that was going to get everyone down there hurt. Or…no, he couldn't start thinking like that. He had to get down there and regain control.

"I'm going down there," he announces, and before he could hesitate and get any sort of sense talked into him, he jogs down the overpass ramp and onto the field.

The noise and fear is even more overwhelming up close, but Ben forces himself to stay calm. It wouldn't do to feed into it and lose control himself. He straightens and adopts his Prince demeanor, and most of the students on the outskirts settle and move out of his way as he approaches. He reaches the center and manages to catch Carlos' eye first.

The smaller boy freezes, and Ben watches the confident and dangerous smile slowly fall from his face. His eyes lose their wild look and a different sort of wild fills them now; like a trapped animal. His knife/dagger clangs against the bench beside him as it drops from his hand, and Jay jumps, turning sharply to face the newest perceived danger.

Jay, too, freezes, and his eyes widen, darting around nervously before settling on Ben. He seems to take in the way everyone is looking to him; the authoritative way he stands, and Ben watches the realization hit him.

"Fuck me," he breathes, straightening from his defensive pose.

Ben raises an eyebrow, caught off guard by the curse. 'Language, Jay,' he wants to say, but then it occurs to him that he sounds just like his father, and instead settles for, "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Shit," is all Jay manages, his dark hair falling across his face as he shakes his head in disbelief.

Carlos is completely frozen, his head once again lowered to the ground, standing behind Jay in a way that looks painfully too much like he wants to throw himself at Ben's feet and grovel. It sends a pang through him, and he looks around to see that everyone is staring at them expectantly. He clears his throat and addresses the crowd in his best attempt to appear like he knows what he's doing.

"Everyone please continue on to your next classes," he directs. "There's nothing to see here."

A disappointed and almost skeptical sort of murmuring goes up from the crowd, but they all begin to leave, in a much more orderly fashion this time. He turns back to see Jay and Carlos attempting to make a subtle retreat, and he sighs, shaking his head.

"Not you two," he says, stopping them in their tracks. "And Chad…" he says, catching sight of the boy on the edge of the crowd. "And Lonnie," he turns again to face his friends; the only ones still standing there.

"Me?" Lonnie questions, her eyes warily scanning the villain kids behind him. "Why me?"

"You said you saw what happened," he replies, and she nods reluctantly.

"The beginning of it, anyway," she adds.

"Then let's take this to Fairy Godmother," he announces.

As he leads the way back across the lawn and towards the school, his princely resolve begins to fade, and all the worry and doubts begin churning their way to the surface. By the time they reach the Fairy Godmother's classroom, he's about as nervous a wreck as Carlos, who hadn't stopped shaking since Ben had appeared on the lawn. He manages to regain enough composure to explain in a calm undertone to the startled headmistress, exactly what was happening.

Fairy Godmother pulls a chair to the front of the room and sits; Jay and Carlos take the table in front of her to the left, while Lonnie and Chad take the one on the right. Ben, for his part, does his best not to start pacing as he stands in the aisle between them.

"Ok," he says slowly, clasping his hands together. "Someone start explaining what happened."

And then all hell breaks loose.

* * *

Carlos

The concept of being "in trouble" was a strange one on the Isle of the Lost. Stealing, looting, killing; any and all sorts of 'bad' things were allowed and even condoned. Depending on who those actions were directed towards. It was funny: the Isle held all the worst of the worst villains, but it also held the sidekicks; the only slightly insane antagonists; the random thief exiled for his crimes. The henchmen. The neighborhood sociopath who wasn't really 'evil,' but wasn't 'good' enough to live in Auradon.

Normal people, if you wanted to compare residents. Commit a crime against them, sure they'd be upset about it, and it was a 'good' thing, but also not really a big deal. Commit a crime against a villain, though. Then you were a force to be reckoned with; someone who was asking for trouble.

For Carlos, trouble didn't really come naturally to him like it did with Mal. He couldn't slip into it like a second skin as Evie did. It wasn't an old friend like it was with Jay. For him, trouble was the annoying brat's stupid dog; hounding him relentlessly, forcing him to either run faster to escape it, or else give in and hope for a merciful death.

'Mercy' was also a twisted concept. It usually varied between a horrifying and excruciating pain, and a slightly less horrifying thing that would most definitely scar you, but leave you alive. It also varied on which was worse.

Being 'in trouble' meant the plan had failed, you didn't execute a scheme properly and the intended victim escaped. Disobeying an order. Another funny paradox, that.

Carlos had never been 'in trouble' for pulling a knife on someone though. He'd never feared retribution for a well-deserved broken arm or a dislocated shoulder. Although, he'd usually been on the receiving end of such actions. Usually. But he hadn't been known as a "callous, low life hood" for nothing. He'd earned his way, and had the scars to prove it.

Here in Auradon, though, 'in trouble' meant just that; and regardless of whether the trouble was for being good or being bad, pain usually followed in some form of punishment. It's that idea, more than anything, that has Carlos trembling as he huddles in the wooden chair. The Fairy Godmother is stern as she stares at him, and she isn't smiling anymore. He almost wishes she would. Even a perpetually cheerful smile was better than the look she was giving him now.

Jay sits frowning next to him, his arms folded across his chest, but his fingers tap against Carlos' arm from beneath the crook of his arm. Carlos knows he's trying to let him know that it would be ok, but he also _knows_ that it's anything but. He had pulled a knife- a _knife_ \- on an unarmed and defenseless Auradon student. Granted, the kid had been an asshole, but Ben had seen. _Prince_ Ben, the very one who had made the decree to bring him here, had seen Carlos de Vil, threatening his subjects with a knife.

"Calm down," Jay mutters in his ear. "You're going to make yourself sick."

Carlos blinks, breathing shallowly. His body feels cold and clammy, and he realizes only vaguely that he'd been on the verge of hyperventilating. He swallows slowly, taking a deep breath and trying to pull himself together.

"I-I'm ok," he whispers back.

Or at least, he had been. Until Ben clasps his hands together like he's delivering a death sentence as says, "Someone tell me what happened."

Instantly, noise explodes, as Jay, Chad, and the pretty Chinese girl from biology all start clamoring at once, each trying to explain. Carlos squeezes his eyes shut, cringing deeper in his seat as the words and syllables pound against his skull in a frantic rhythm. Then silence falls, and he looks up to see that Ben has his hands raised in a clear gesture for order.

"One at a time," he says sternly. "Lonnie."

Ben looks to the Chinese girl, who looks caught off guard before she draws a breath and stands slowly from her seat. Carlos feels only a brief flicker of curiosity, and he wonders whose child she is, and thinking if any of the villains he knew on the Isle had complained about a Chinese hero.

"Lonnie says she saw the beginning of what happened," Ben explains to the Fairy Godmother, before turning and nodding encouragingly to the girl.

"Well, it actually started with biology," the girl says quietly. "Mr. Kropp…," she falters, and Carlos can tell she's trying to be diplomatic.

"Is an arrogant, prejudiced bastard," Jay helpfully supplies in an undertone. Carlos stifles a laugh, but in the silence of Lonnie's musing, everyone hears Jay's comments.

"Language, Jay," Fairy Godmother scolds, and though her voice is calm, the solemn way she looks at them makes Carlos flinch.

"He was afraid," Lonnie finally continues. "That having Carlos sign in class would cause an unnecessary disruption, and that, as long as he was capable to, he wanted Carlos to actively participate in class."

"Unnecessary my ass," Jay grumbles.

"But I made sure all the teachers knew…," Fairy Godmother begins, but it's Ben who finishes.

"Carlos can't talk."

Carlos keeps his gaze firmly on the desk in front of him, tracing the patterns the wood makes in the grain. He hears Chad scoff, and he flinches at the cruel sound.

"Well, you're not entirely wrong."

Carlos stiffens, shrinking as much as he can in his seat and wishing he could turn invisible. He knew Evie knew a potion for it, and surely Mal knew a spell; heck, even Jay could wish himself invisible on the chance he found a magic lamp. He wonders, not for the first time, why he's the only one of the group not magically inclined. Instead, he gets the psychopath mother who wants to kill cute animals for clothes.

"Carlos?"

He flinches, jerked from his thoughts and back into the moment, where everyone is staring at him expectantly. He looks to Jay desperately, but the look on the other boy's face clearly says that this is up to him. Looking up even further, he sees Ben staring at him, and the look on his face is a mix of concern and disbelief. Behind him, Lonnie echoes the concern, but there's also a hesitance; a wariness. And Chad…Chad's expression is smug and confident in Carlos' failure, and Carlos shivers, lowering his gaze to the desk and shaking his head slightly.

He hears Chad scoff again, but Ben clears his throat and the laugh stops. He isn't sure whether the way his stomach flips is due to relief, or fear, but Ben speaks again before he can fully decide.

"Jay?" he asks, and Carlos can feel Jay stiffen beside him, and his fingers tap a little more incessantly against Carlos' arm.

He looks over, and Jay signs quickly; making an 'O' shape with his fingers before making a 'K' with his index and middle finger; he then tilts his head slightly and lifts his brows before placing the tip of his index finger against his chin, flipping it forward and in the direction of the watching crowd.

[Ok if I tell them?]

Might as well, Carlos thinks bitterly, but he manages to keep it off his face and portray it to Jay with a simple eye roll. Jay huffs at the sarcasm, but straightens and turns to Ben, and Carlos tenses again in his chair.

"Carlos has a stutter," Jay announces shortly. "It's why he doesn't talk."

Carlos is grateful for Jay's bluntness, for once. It gets the point across, while also effectively shutting down any prying questions. But it doesn't stop the reactions, and he grimaces at Ben and the Fairy Godmother's simultaneous noises of surprise and realization. He waits for the questions or even judgements, but it's Lonnie who speaks up and regains control.

"Yeah," she confirms quickly. "Um, so when Carlos participated…anyway, it was after class. We were all on the lawn and some of Chad's group were making jokes about it. And then Jay and Carlos showed up; things kind of escalated from there, and then…."

"And then they totally flipped out and attacked us!" Chad cuts in, his voice pitched in a whine. Carlos snorts derisively, and Jay stands sharply, slamming his hands onto the table.

"Bull. Shit!" he snaps, and Carlos can't help the small smile that slips across his face as he looks up to see the scandalized look on Chad's face at being cursed at. But it falls again when he sees the stern expression on the Fairy Godmother's face, and he grabs Jay's jacket, tugging him to try to get him to back down.

"Oh, so you mean Carlos _didn't_ dislocate Emil's shoulder?"

"It'll pop back in," Jay counters smoothly. "Trust me, there's a lot worse than a dislocated shoulder."

"And I guess pulling a knife on Kory; that's no big deal either, right?"

"Listen, asshole," Jay starts, and Carlos knows he has to stop him before he explodes.

"Jay," Carlos hisses, tugging harder and forcing him back down into his seat. "Th-that's ennnough."

He appreciated Jay's blunt defense, but not at the risk of making things worse. Jay sits, but Carlos knows he's far from finished.

"Asshole," he grumbles under his breath, crossing his arms sullenly.

Ben clears his throat again, and Carlos stiffens as he waits for the verdict. "Yes, about the knife," he says slowly. "Um, we're going to have to confiscate that from you."

Carlos sucks in a sharp breath, and Jay starts muttering curses furiously under his breath, but Ben's not done yet.

"Jay, we'll need any weapons you have too. And Mal and Evie."

"Yeah, you try and take Mal's knives," Carlos hears Jay murmur. "Love to see how that works out for you."

But all Carlos can think is that it was happening again, and he trembles as he takes out Claw, placing it on the desk before him and waiting for the next part. The pain part.

"Thank you Carlos," Ben says formally. Then, "Jay?"

Jay scoffs, but reaches into his pockets and out turns them. "Got nothing but my fists," he says stiffly, before returning his pockets to their normal shape; re-concealing a small leather bag with an easy sleight of hand.

"Alright then," Ben begins, but Chad jumps up, and Carlos flinches as his chair scrapes harshly across the floor.

"Wait that's it? Just take away their weapons and call it a day? They _attacked us_ Ben!"

"I know," Ben says, and his voice is understanding but still that stiff and formal tone of a Prince. "But it was a situation that, according to Lonnie, you started."

"Which is why," the Fairy Godmother breaks in sharply from the front of the room. "Chad, you will be serving detention with me, every day after school for a week. Perhaps you can help me go over lessons in Basic Human Decency."

Jay stifles a snort, and even Carlos manages a weak smile as he listens to Chad splutter in disbelief.

"What?!"

"And I _will_ be writing to your mother about this incident," Fairy Godmother finishes firmly.

"What about _them_?"

Carlos glances up to see Chad glaring at him, and he knows he really means, 'what about the de Vil freak?'

"We will deal with them," Fairy Godmother says, and Carlos shivers at how ominous it sounds. "I think for now, you should worry about getting to your next class. I will see you later this evening."

Chad complains even further, but eventually he storms his way out of the room, leaving only Ben, Jay, Carlos, the Fairy Godmother, and Lonnie, who shuffles nervously.

"Um, should I…?" she gestures vaguely to the door, and Ben nods.

"Yeah, you can go. Thanks Lonnie."

"Sure thing," she mutters, then leaves quickly, the door closing behind her and echoing with a forbidding tone as it clicks firmly into place.

Jay stands the minute she's gone, while Carlos goes back to trying to disappear, shrinking down into his seat as much as he can.

"Look," Jay says quickly. "It wasn't Carlos' fault. I'm the one who started the fight, ok? He was just…there."

"He attacked and injured two of my students," Fairy Godmother says slowly, and Carlos bites the inside of his cheek so hard he tastes iron.

"It wasn't his fault," Jay insists. "If someone has to be punished, it should be. I'll take his."

"Nno, Jay," Carlos tries to stand as well, but Jay shoves him back down, shooting him a glare.

The glint in his eyes looks angry, but Carlos knows well enough to see that it's concern and fear. The Fairy Godmother makes a soft sound, and Carlos glances over to see her look up and exchange a glance with Ben above their heads.

"You will both be serving detention with me, as well," Fairy Godmother says. "Two weeks. You're already attending Goodness Class, but extra lessons wouldn't hurt."

"Ok," Jay says slowly, and Carlos can tell from his tone that he's steeling himself, too. "And?"

Neither of them bother to protest their two week sentence vs Chad's one week. They're both certain there's more to come.

"An apology to Emil and Kory wouldn't hurt," Ben offers, moving into their line of sight.

Carlos nods reluctantly, but inside he's wondering if they'd pegged this wrong. Maybe things really were different in Auradon, and this was actually a punishment. He doesn't dare to hope, and instead waits for Jay to press and confirm it.

"But…detention, the weapons, an _apology_. Really? That's really it?"

Ben has another weird look on his face, and he turns to Carlos, who drops his gaze to his knife. He works to memorize every single detail about it before it's taken from him, dutifully avoiding Ben's look as he asks:

"What more were you expecting?"

* * *

Ben

Things were different on the Isle of the Lost. Auradon wasn't the Isle. Things were different. It's a mantra Ben has to keep repeating to himself as he and the Fairy Godmother listen to what had happened in the school yard. He tries to think of things from Jay and Carlos' perspective, and speculates that confrontations like this must happen all the time; that threatening someone with a knife could be considered self-defense at best and something that could be considered good at worst.

He tries to keep their sentence light, at least, as light as could be made considering it had been a knife, and that the whole thing could have been avoided if he'd fully thought things through like his father had insisted. But watching Jay and Carlos' reactions, you'd think Ben was sentencing them to death. Or at least, that they expected him to.

The thought is disturbing, as he wonders what sort of things constituted as punishments on the Isle, or if there was any set of rules for a thing to be judged 'wrong' by. It would almost be amusing, thinking of a rule system for villains, but the way Jay leapt his feet, insisting that he was to blame and that he would take any punishment given to Carlos; the way Carlos cowered in his chair like he wanted it to swallow him whole. The way Jay stared at him when Fairy Godmother had announced their punishment, how he pressed for more like…like what?

"What more were you expecting?" Ben asks carefully, and Jay sort of scoffs in disbelief.

"You're serious," he mutters, and Ben thinks he might be talking to himself. "Of course, this is Auradon but detention is really the worst…"

Jay falters, seeming to realize what he's said. He glances at Carlos and there's a frantic and silent discussion in sign that Ben doesn't quite catch, but Ben does catch the expression on Carlos' face and there's something desperate in his eyes, almost fearful. It dawns on Ben, then, that there must be such a thing as rules and punishments on the Isle, and he recalls the bruises; the worried explanations from Fairy Godmother about broken bones. He takes in the panic and worry on Jay's face; how Carlos is so pale Ben fears he might collapse.

'Detention,' he had said, but what had they heard?

"Carlos," Ben says quietly, because he knows he won't get a straight answer from Jay, and the smaller boy is just so _terrified_. "What exactly is it that you're expecting from us?"

Jay stiffens, but says nothing, dropping his head in such an uncharacteristic gesture of submission that it startles Ben. Carlos shudders once in his chair, but slowly lifts himself into an upright position. His hands tremble as he rolls back the spotted sleeves of his shirt, but he finally succeeds and places his hands on the table, palms up and arms facing Ben.

It takes Ben a moment to realize what he's seeing, but when his eyes and brain finally decipher it, he wants to be sick. Scars, some thick and jagged, others thin and wiry, mar the pale skin of Carlos' forearms. They cross and run parallel to each other in some places, forming a strange sort of pattern, and with a sickening lurch another realization clicks into his brain. Words. They're words carved into Carlos' skin.

Names. Taunts. Horrible curses and letters spelling out things too vile to even comprehend.

Ben hears Fairy Godmother gasp behind him, but he's too busy searching for an explanation, fighting the churning in his gut. Carlos is trembling, his eyes glued firmly to the table in front of him, and so Ben looks to Jay.

"What?" Is all Ben manages to choke out, and Jay's eyes are hard, his voice tight as he answers.

"Just another happy side effect of the Isle," he says, then he seems to remember who he is talking to and grimaces, looking away and muttering. "Specifically a side effect of school rules and punishments."

"Detention," Carlos whispers from his seat, and Ben understands their sudden fear, and why Jay had been so desperate to take the blame. But just what sort of thing could possibly justify something like that? Nothing could, and he wants to ask, but he knows he's already lost control of the situation, and adding onto it by prying into the past won't help any.

"Things...things aren't not like that here," he says firmly. "Auradon is different."

It's a hollow comfort, but the best he can do, given the current circumstances. The words and apologies that Ben wants to say have no place here, especially not with his standing as Prince of the very kingdom that had doomed them to such a fate. He knows that's what Jay thinks, with his curses and betrayed anger, and Ben can't find it in himself to blame the boy.

He might not have been responsible for their banishment, but he _was_ responsible for their redemption. The villain kids were his subjects now too, and Ben vowed he'd do everything in his power to make sure that things were different here. It wouldn't be an easy task to accomplish, but he would make it work. He owed them that much.

* * *

Run.

That was the only thought that solidified itself in the boy's mind. Run. Get away. Faster than them. He was faster, he knew he was but he had to hide. Hide. Somewhere small, somewhere safe, where they couldn't find him. Couldn't hurt him if they couldn't see him.

 _Carlos._

Run! There, wait!

 _Gonna get you, freak!_

Don't look back. Don't look back just go. Squeeze into the space and it's small, perfect. Dark and cold, but small enough to hide him.

 _Where are you, brat?_

Don't speak, don't speak. Not a sound, not one sound, they'll hear _She_ will hear.

 _"Don't hide from me, Carlos!"_

 _Carlos._

Don't move. Don't breathe don't move no sounds. She can't catch him, she can't.

'Sorry,' he thinks, rocking in his hiding space. 'Sorry, I'm sorry, please.'

 _"Carlos, don't hide from Mommy…"_

"Sorry," he whimpers, "Sorry ssorry please, I'm ssorry."

* * *

Mal

Mal isn't happy when she finds out about the fight in the yard. Well, there's a small part of her that feels a thrill of amusement at the knowledge that some of the prissy Auradon princes had gotten their asses handed to them. But that amusement boils down to anger at the fact that it had been _Jay_ and _Carlos_ who'd done it, and even more so when she is told that her knives were being taken from her, and Evie was losing her potions as a 'precaution.'

All in all, Mal is _pissed_ , and she only vaguely relishes the crowds that scramble away in terror as she stalks through the dorms, Evie close on her heels. Room number 17 appears in her line of sight, and the door slams open with a satisfying **boom**. The room is larger than hers and Evie's, the walls dark stone instead of pink and white wallpaper. But most of the features were the same, including the massive fireplace set against the far left wall.

None of that matters to Mal though. She spots Jay fiddling with something by the entertainment center, and instantly storms over.

"Where is he?" she snaps, and Jay straightens, holding out his hands in a futile attempt to calm her.

"Mal," he begins slowly, and she curls her lip in disgust.

"Don't 'Mal,' me, Jay," she growls. "Where is he?"

"So dramatic, M," she hears Evie mutter, but she keeps her focus on Jay, glaring until he relents and points to the fireplace.

Mal stalks over to the opening in the wall and places a hand on the hearth, bending down to peer inside. It's dark, but there's enough light in the room behind her that she can make out a vague outline huddled in the corner.

"Carlos," she snaps, and the shape jerks. She thinks he tries to say something, but all that comes out is a frantic whimpering sound.

Great. She backs out of the fireplace and turns on Jay, her anger diminishing only slightly as she asks, "How long has he been in there?"

Jay looks to the clock on the table and frowns thoughtfully. "20 minutes?" he says, shrugging, and Mal narrows her eyes.

"I'm giving him 30 and then I'm dragging his sorry ass out here," she decides. "In the meantime, Jay," she sits on the edge of the spare bed next to Evie. "A _fight_? What part of 'lay low' didn't you get?"

Jay at least has the decency to look ashamed, grimacing as he starts to pace. "I'd say it wasn't my fault, but…."

"No," Mal agrees. "It was yours _and_ Carlos.'"

"Mal," Evie scolds, but she doesn't care if she's being harsh. No, that's not entirely true. But damn it all, she'd _told_ him…

"It wasn't really, though," Jay cuts in. "I started it. If I hadn't pranked him in class, the teacher never would have called on him, and no one would have heard him slip up for those assholes to make fun of him."

"Wait," Mal says, holding up a hand to stop his tirade. "The teacher called on Carlos to _speak_ in class?"

Jay grimaces, but nods, and Mal's frowns sharply. "What happened to the signing? Fairy Godmother said…."

She doesn't want to admit how easily she had trusted the woman's promise, but Jay nods again, a hard look in his eyes, and Mal leans forward to hear his explanation.

"Yeah, she did say. But the teacher said, and I quote, 'I will not coddle you, as I've no doubt you're used to,' and 'I will not cater to the whims of a villain.'"

The nasally accent Jay had adopted to impersonate the teacher did nothing to keep the man's words from registering, and Evie gasps sharply beside her. "What?"

"What?" Mal repeats, her voice hard.

"Yeah," Jay confirms. "Those exact words. Not to mention his whole thing about biological squares and children being genetically evil."

"What?" Mal hisses dangerously, while Evie straightens beside her.

"Details," the other girl presses, and Jay explains the entire classroom situation to them. By the time he's finished, Mal is pacing, swearing furiously under her breath, and Evie looks ready to kill.

"So," Evie says darkly, and Mal can hear the scheming tone in her voice. "It sounds to me like the real problem is this teacher, Mr. Kropp."

Mal hums noncommittally, but her own gears are turning as well. What's the worst thing they could do to him without it leading back to them, and what could they do that would ensure no further trouble for Carlos? She had answers to both of those things; the former, more so than the latter, but nothing that worked to solve both solutions in one. They could always do two separate acts, but if they hadn't been caught by the first, then the second would certainly lead back to them…

"I think we ought to let him have a taste of his own medicine," Evie continues, and Jay chuckles wickedly in agreement.

"Nothing lethal," Mal mutters, glancing at the bedside clock and frowning.

"Aw, come on!" Jay protests, and even Evie looks disappointed.

"Mal," she says. "What he did to Carlos; to _us_ …we can't let that slide."

"And we won't," Mal promises. "Believe me, he will get all he deserves and more when we get that wand. But in the meantime: nothing lethal."

"Fine," Evie concedes, and Mal nods, satisfied, before turning to the fireplace.

"Alright," Mal says sharply. "I'm dragging him out."

"I thought you said 30," Jay says. "It's only 25 now."

"I changed my mind," she mutters, stalking over to the fireplace and bending down to peer inside.

Carlos was still huddled in the corner, but the whimpering had stopped, at least. She takes that as a good enough sign as any and slaps her palm against the hearth a few times.

"Carlos!" she snaps, and the boy jerks back with a yelp, slamming his head against the stone behind him.

"Ah!" he gasps, uncurling slowly and grimacing. "Sson of a b-itch!"

"Yes you are," Mal says glibly, but she's silently relieved that he hadn't retreated so far that he'd completely lost himself. "Get out here," she continues. "We need to talk."

She backs away slightly from the fireplace, allowing the smaller boy to crawl out of the space, easily ignoring his grumbling.

"Sscrew ta-ta-talking," Carlos mutters, glaring as he peers up at her.

"You shouldn't swear, Carlos," Mal scolds him lightly, patting the soot from his white-blond hair. "It's very unbecoming, and besides, by the time you've finished cursing someone out, it's completely ineffective."

"This ine-ine-ineffective?" Carlos challenges, flipping her off as he dodges her hands, moving across the room to sit beside Evie on the bed.

"Very," Mal warns, her eyes flashing as she glares at him.

He cringes, his own eyes lighting with fear, and she hates the way it makes her want to apologize. She latches on to her previous anger, but continues in a slightly more subdued tone.

"Do you want to explain why you started a fight when I clearly said lay low and follow the rules until we get the wand?"

Carlos tucks his knees to his chest and shakes his head, his eyes shining and only just visible as he peeks up at her. "Didn't," he mumbles into his knees, and she frowns at him.

"Didn't what?"

"Sstart," he whispers.

"Don't give me the one word shit, Carlos," Mal growls, sitting next to Jay on the opposite bed. "This is serious!"

"I kn-now that!" Carlos cries hoarsely, sitting up fully, and Mal realizes that his eyes are wet because he really _had_ been crying. "You th-think I don't knnnow that?"

"Shit," Mal mutters, regretting her anger instantly. "Carlos…," she tries, but it's too much like an apology and the words stick in her throat. She jumps up from the bed and starts pacing again, swearing furiously under her breath.

"Ignore her, Carlos," she hears Jay say behind her. "She's just pissed because they took her knives away."

"Hey, they took my potions, too," Evie counters. "You don't see me biting off anyone's head."

"It's not about that," Mal snaps, whirling back to face them. "It's about keeping each other safe and together here until we get the wand and get back home. It's about surviving, and if we're already in trouble on day 1…" she trails off because she realizes she's revealing way too much emotion, and she sits back down next to Jay with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Carlos," she bites out, a little harsher than an apology should be, but she was apologizing, at least.

"'s Ok," he mumbles, but she knows it's not. Not when he now had a target on his back. Not when they were stuck in the very kingdom that despised them for who they were. The situation was too skewed against them to be 'ok.'

"Mal, I get that you're worried," Jay says, squeezing her arm reassuringly. "But we survived the Isle, and we've survived Auradon this far."

"We'll keep doing it like we always have," Evie chimes in with a soft smile.

Carlos nods beside her, shaping his hands into fists with his thumbs pressed to the sides of his index fingers; he presses both hands together, palms facing each other, and makes a sweeping horizontal circle.

[Together.]

"God we sound like a fairy tale already," Mal groans, dropping her head onto Jay's shoulder. She grumbles as she feels him laugh beneath her, but she can't deny the slight feeling of relief that fills her.

"Hey Carlos," she murmurs, and the smaller boy raises an eyebrow at her. "What would you say to Mr. Kropp getting a taste of what it's like to not be so in control of himself?"

And as Mal watches the positively _evil_ grin spread across Carlos' face, she can't help but laugh. Yeah, they would be ok. She'd make sure of it.


	6. The kids ain't alright

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay with this update! I was finishing up with some school stuff, and then holidays and family visiting...anyway, I was delayed, but I won't be this late again, I promise! Hopefully this massively long chapter will make up for it? Hopefully? :)**

 **On to my reviews! (You know the drill, skip to the Author's Notes if you don't want to read.)**

 **Tiredandlazy: Aw, your reviews always make me laugh! I love that you love this story so much and are so enthusiastic despite your sleep deprivation. ;) Your description of Mal was perfect and definitely made sense. Sweet in a not sweet way. And yes, I decided to make Audrey nicer in this version, because it just didn't feel right to me, her characterization in the movie. So more nice Audrey ahead, and Mr. Kropp's punishment won't be long in coming, I promise.**

 **Forever-Furuba: I didn't mean to make that a HP reference, but it does work that way, doesn't it? Although I did intend for the fireplace to be reminiscent of the chimneys and crawl spaces, so yay for picking up on that! ;) And they're definitely more the type to go along rooftops, as you'll see shortly. :)**

 **theNiceDevil: Your username reminds me of Carlos, lol! I'm glad you think this story is so awesome, and that you don't think I need to up the rating. I'll definitely keep adding warnings though, just to be safe.**

 **Rowan: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter!**

 **anonimo: ¡Perdón por la espera! Esperemos que este capítulo satisfaga. Y no hay necesidad de morir, usted estará descubriendo lo que le sucede a Kropp pronto!**

 **keirstinpaige: *maniacal laughter continues* It will be fun indeed, muahaha! You will be finding out what his punishment is soon, though the actual event won't be until a little later. But enjoy the anticipation!**

 **Guest: I think you're the only guest I don't have a name for, lol! I'm glad you loved the chapter and I hope you will continue to enjoy and review.**

 **Faye: I'm so sorry for the lack of update! Hopefully this 10,000 word chapter will make up for it! ;)**

 **Invited: Thank you for the review and the kind words! I will work to keep updates more regular and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Call Me Random: Tears of laughter? ;)**

 **ATimeInFantasy: I'm glad you liked Dark Carlos. It was something completely different from what we're shown of his character, so I was worried it wouldn't go over well. Mr. Kropp will be punished, don't you worry about that! And yes, Audrey is nice, though I'm not yet sure what other relationships I'll explore with the rest of the group. But I know Evie won't be attracted to Chad in the least!**

* * *

 **Ok, quick Author's Note and then chapter! This chapter contains Language! and mentions of child abuse, though nothing explicit. Language definitely is, though, so be warned! Also more sign language, and science.**

 **Also, for those who were wondering, Mr. Kropp is based on the Mr. Kropp from the Incredibles, the teacher that Dash put a tack on his chair. And Emil is based on a random member of the tourney team; I could only see the 'E' on the back of his jersey, so I took the liberty of naming him. As for Kory, I'll let you keep guessing. ;)**

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 **And so, without further ado or delay, enjoy the latest chapter. I hope you all enjoy and I can't wait to hear what you think! I promise updates won't be so late in coming in the future. :)**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Audrey

If someone had told Audrey two weeks ago that Auradon Prep would be hosting a group of villain kids, she would have shrieked in horror and possibly fainted. (No comment as to whether that had actually been the case.) If you were to go one step further and say that not only would the villain kids become part of the student body, but that Audrey herself would actually feel any sort of positive emotion towards them….

And yet here she was in Ben's room, pacing back and forth in front of the massive fireplace, worrying about everything that had happened earlier. Ben watches her pace, and though he's tried to set his expression to reveal nothing, she knows him well enough to see through it; he looks likes his entire world has crashed down around him, and she can't quite say he's wrong to feel that way.

"How did we not know about Carlos?" she asks the air. "A villain with a stutter; how do we not hear about something like that?"

"There's a lot we still don't know about them," Ben replies quietly from the bed.

"And Chad!" Audrey huffs. "I still can't believe he would do something like that." She paces a few feet before turning sharply on her heel. "I mean, I can, but..."

"Give him time," Ben says slowly, but his tone his far away, like he's thinking even as he says the words. "He'll come around."

"He's not going to come around to the two villains who attacked him, regardless of the circumstances," she counters sharply, but she falters when Ben grimaces in response.

"Stop…calling them that," he says, and she frowns, pausing in track across the floor.

"Calling them what?"

"Villains," he says, looking up at her with eyes like a heartbroken puppy. "They're not villains," he insists. "They're just kids."

"Kids who've clearly shown proficient use in lethal weapons," she counters sternly. "Kids who were raised by villains who did horrible things; who only know how to do horrible things."

"Stop it!" Ben cries, leaning forward on the edge of the bed. "You _know_ there's more to it than that. This…this isn't you."

She sighs, crossing to sit next to him on the bed. "Ben, I know," she relents. "I get that there's more; that their life was…less than ideal."

She grimaces herself at the choice of words. Things were definitely worse than that. But…

"I know you want to help them," she continues. "And I do too, but you need to think."

"Think about what?" he asks, and she can tell even without seeing the crinkle in his brow that he's battling the urge to get defensive.

"Ben, they attacked Chad, Emil and Kory." She hates how harsh she sounds, but he has to see. "And, I know, I _know_ that the situation wasn't…that they were acting on instinct. But that alone should tell you that this runs a lot deeper than just not getting enough to eat."

They'd seen further proof of that particular aspect over dinner. It had been worse than lunch in some aspects because some of the teachers and other adult faculty members had been present, and the villain kids had cringed back from them each time an adult had come near their table, as if expecting something terrible to happen to them. And Audrey could have sworn she'd seen Jay and Carlos slipping food from the table.

"I have thought about it, Audrey," Ben says, and she knows he's frustrated now. "And I'm not ignoring what they've done. But I have to think about what they _could_ do; what could be better for them here."

"You want to help," Audrey says. "But you also have to be prepared for…things like this."

"Things like this," Ben repeats slowly, and she loves him, she really does, but he's just so naïve sometimes.

"With whatever life they've know, they might not be used to help; they might not even _want_ to be helped," she explains gently.

"But," Ben begins to protest, and she takes his hands in her own, squeezing gently.

"We'll get there," she reassures him with a smile. "But we take it slow; one at a time, and try and give them the chance to open up to us."

"Yeah. Yeah, ok," Ben relents slowly, but she can still see the worry in the set of his jaw. "But if they don't? If…if this really is a mistake and…and they can't be reached?"

It's a valid concern, but Audrey knows better than to admit that it's also one that's been on her mid. Instead, she kisses away the anxious crease in Ben's brow, smiling when he laughs in response.

"Then we'll deal with that when it comes," she says simply.

"What would I do without you?" Ben sighs.

"Nothing," she says with a laugh. "Absolutely nothing."

"Hey, give me some credit," Ben protests, but he's laughing too, and Audrey settles back against him, relieved.

At least this crisis was averted. Time would tell just what others would be resurfacing.

* * *

Evie

They were all gathered in the boys' room again. Evie didn't want to admit it, but it was nicer than her and Mal's room. The pink and lace was everything that she could have ever dreamed off, but the cozy darkness of the boys' room felt more like home. Mal lay upside down on one of the beds; Carlos', judging by how neatly it was made up; flipping through her spell book and muttering the curses under her breath as she came upon them. Jay and Carlos fought over a game near the massive TV, Carlos' arguments alternating between rushed and staccato yelling, and signing when he got too worked up to speak.

Evie, for her part, was doing her best to organize the closets. She grumbles to herself, grabbing random leather articles and attempting to match them together. It didn't make sense to her; the closets were huge, with one easily able to hold all four of their clothes together with room to spare. And yet, only one closet seemed in obvious use, and judging by the amount of red, gold and brown, it was all Jay's.

"Carlos," she calls over her shoulder. A startled yelp, followed by a dull thud meets her words, and she turns to see Carlos sprawled on his back with Jay laughing atop him.

"Pinned again and he is down for the count!" Jay crows victoriously, as Carlos squirms beneath him.

"Mal!" Carlos cries in protest.

"Jay, stop pinning Carlos," Mal scolds, but she barely raises her head from her book, and Jay uses the opportunity to viciously ruffle Carlos' hair.

"Eeevie!" Carlos whimpers, and Evie huffs, crossing her arms.

"Honestly how anything gets done with you two," she mutters, but she stalks over anyway, daintily stepping over the tangle of the boys' legs to reach Jay, who was attempting to wrestle Carlos into a headlock. Evie grumbles in annoyance, reaching down and easily twisting Jay's wrist, freeing Carlos from the older boy's grip, the smaller boy instantly retreating to the opposite bed beside Mal.

"Fucking shit, E!" Jay growls angrily, shaking out his hand.

 _That_ gets Mal's attention. She sits up, slamming her book closed sharply and scowling. "Jay," she snaps, and there's an unquestionable power in her voice as she glares at the older boy.

"But…" Jay protests, and Mal's eyes flash green. He instantly cuts off his argument, but that doesn't stop him from complaining as he glares at Evie. "That's is low, E, real low."

Evie smiles sweetly at him, and blows him a kiss when he flips her off, turning back to prance back over to Carlos.

"Now then," she says, poking the boy to get his attention. "Where are all your clothes, de Vil?" She pokes him a few times as she speaks to emphasize her seriousness, though that doesn't keep her from noticing the way he shrinks on the bed, refusing to look at her as he shakes his head.

"Yeah, I did notice that, too," Mal chimes in, her book completely abandoned beside her on the bed as she leans forward. Her eyes narrow, and Evie watches her scan the room before turning back to Carlos.

"Ok spill," Evie demands. "This closet is amazing, why would you not take advantage of that space?"

She realizes only belatedly, when Carlos shrinks a little further, that there was in fact, good reason for his lack of taking advantage. But she doesn't get a chance to take back her words, because Carlos is pointing to a corner of the closet that Evie had overlooked in her previous examination. Examining it now, she sees what she'd missed before; a large black trash bag, only half full, nestled into one of the closet's many alcoves.

"You haven't unpacked yet?" It's Mal who voices Evie's thoughts, the other girl leaning so far forward that Evie was certain she would fall off the edge of the bed.

"And what is with the trash bag, bro?" Jay asks with a laugh. "What, you really couldn't find _one_ suitcase?"

"Oh, I'm ssorry," Carlos mutters. "I w-wa-was a little busy rrunning for my l-life." But his sarcasm does little to hide the anxious way he begins fiddling with his dog tail, studiously avoiding all of their gazes.

Evie vaguely remembers some kind of commotion as they were leaving the Isle. She and Mal had already been in the car, the other girl silent in the midst of her "plotting," as she called it. Jay had happily let the Auradon driver pack his bags into the trunk for him, entering the car himself with a particular glint in his eye that Evie had known meant he'd just successfully stolen something. Then Carlos had come running up, throwing himself into the car with hardly a backward glance, practically leaping into Jay's lap as he'd rushed to slam the door closed behind him.

Evie frowns, remembering hearing Cruella shouting something through the glass windows. Whatever it was must still be ringing in Carlos' ears, because he's shivering as he huddles on the bed beside her. Mal and Jay exchange knowing glances; a silent conversation that Evie wasn't privy to. She sighs quietly, glancing back at Carlos. While none of the kids' parents were particularly...nice... Carlos had especially had it worse. And with his stutter...Evie herself shudders as she recalls many times when Carlos had come crawling through her bedroom window, half dead and desperate to escape whatever horrors Cruella inflicted in her maddened states. With all that they had endured together, and all that Carlos had been through, for that teacher to think they'd been coddled of all things...

"Hey," Evie hisses, tossing a pillow at Carlos to get his attention. "Get dressed; dark."

"What's this now?" Jay asks, while both Mal and Carlos straighten quizzically.

"We're going out," Evie announces. "To the science lab, to be exact."

"E, what are you thinking?" Mal questions, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm thinking it's about time we started on Mr. Kropp's change of heart," Evie says with a sly grin.

Carlos smiles slowly as the idea gets into his head, an enthusiastic sort of smirk that completely washes away the fear and worry of before.

"Jay, do you still have the dust CJ gave you?" Evie asks, turning happily on her heel to face the other boy.

"Yeah," Jay confirms with a slight scoff. "What, are we gonna make him fly?"

"Up you go with a height and ho, to the stars beyond the blue...you can fly you can fly you can fly," Carlos hums quietly, but he stops singing when Jay glares at him.

"Oh don't worry," Evie assures, standing to readjust her cloak so its darker side was now showing on the outside. "I've got this."

"Sure," Jay says skeptically.

"Mal, we'll need your spell book," Evie continues, ignoring the other boy's comments.

Mal nods, grabbing the book up and tucking it into a hidden pocket inside her jacket.

"And Jay, you've got the dust," Evie reaffirms, then turns to Carlos.

"Carlos, we'll need..." She starts to say 'your knife,' because instinct and habit aren't silenced easily; but she recovers and finishes smoothly. "Your kit."

Carlos nods, and pulls his small lock picking kit from his back pocket. But he's looking at Mal, and Evie notices that Jay is, as well, waiting for the girl to tell them what to do. Mal raises an eyebrow at them both, and shakes her head.

"Hey don't look at me," she says. "Evie's in charge of this one."

Evie grins even wider, not so secretly pleased. It was a rare moment when Mal gave anyone else control, and so the opportunity at hand was one that Evie did not intend to waste.

"Alright then," she says, clasping her hands together. "Everyone ready?"

There's a scattering of solemn, but eager nods, and Evie turns to the boys. "Jay, Carlos; go up," she directs. "Mal and I will take the school route, backtracking to the library if things go south."

"Which they won't," Mal is quick to add, and Evie nods, understanding the silent warning.

"No," she concedes. "But if we're seen, we have the alibi. And it's best Jay and Carlos stay out of sight."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder of that, E," Jay mutters, but his eyes glint darkly and Evie know he's just as excited about this as she is.

"Carlos, stay in front," Evie directs. "Once you and Jay reach the lab, use your kit to get inside."

"And y-you?" Carlos asks, and it's almost sweet the concerned look he's giving her.

Sweet, but Evie can't help but think that it's also a sign of weakness that would definitely have gotten him killed on the Isle. But this wasn't the Isle, she reminds herself, and it is sweet that he's worried for her. It means he cares, unlike….

"Mal and I'll be fine," Evie assures him, smiling as she shoves aside her concerns. "You'll probably get there before we do, anyway, and if you don't, we'll let you in."

"Ok," he mumbles, but she can tell he's still worried.

"It'll be fine because we'll make it fine," she says, and she makes sure to catch his eyes, injecting her words with a certain steel so he _knows_ it will be ok.

"Right," Carlos says, but he's confident this time, slipping into his role with a bit more ease.

Evie smiles then, placing her hand in front of her in an outstretched fist. "Rotten?"

"To the core," is echoed around her, as three other fists press against hers.

"Alright then, let's go," she says.

* * *

Jay

There was nothing quite like the rush of sensation that running along rooftops brought. The night cloaking his skin in darkness and shadow, every footfall precise and carrying him one step further to a successful goal; in this case, a break in. Break ins definitely ranked high on Jay's list of favorite types of robberies. The classic 'weapon to the throat, give me everything you have and no one gets hurt' act was always a favorite, but at least with break ins, he didn't have to get his hands (or his clothes) dirty.

Jay grins as he sprints across the dorm roof, spying a ledge up ahead that separated their current building from the one next to it.

"Jump," he calls quietly to Carlos, who'd fallen behind as leader, but was still keeping pace beside Jay despite the older boy having the longer stride.

Carlos nods, his eyes straight ahead, but the slight twitch of his lips told Jay that he is just as excited about it all as Jay is. Jay pulls ahead and clears the jump with ease, crouching low and leaning his weight forward as he lands, the balls of his feet absorbing most of the shock of the sound. He grimaces as there's still a hushed _thud_ as he hits the opposite roof, but he'd made it, at least.

He turns to watch Carlos leap, rolling his eyes as he notices that the other boy had slowed his pace. "What's a matter, bro?" Jay teases softly. "Is the puppy scared of falling?"

Carlos' eyes narrow, but he doesn't retaliate, instead launching himself forward in a dive, his palms hitting the roof by Jay's feet without a sound. Jay blinks as Carlos completes his dive with a tuck of his body, his shoulder absorbing the rest of the weight and sound, and then rolling its way down until Carlos pops back up, rocking from his heels to his toes and straightening with a grin.

"Tha-tha-tha-that's how it's done," Carlos murmurs, brushing his shoulder in a haughty gesture as Jay scowls.

"Shut up," Jay hisses, jogging off across the remaining rooftop. Carlos laughs behind him, easily catching up and ignoring the glares Jay shoots over at him as he began to sing in an undertone.

"Think of the happiest things, it's the same as having wings. Take the path that moonbeams make; if the moon is still awake you'll see him wink his eye. You can fly, you can fly, you can fly!"

"Damn it, Carlos," Jay growls, and Carlos giggles from his side.

"Ssorry," the boy whispers. "It's st-stuck in my hhhead."

"Yeah well if you get it stuck in mine, I'm gonna beat it back into yours," Jay mutters darkly.

The rest of the sprint across the roof passes in blessed silence, only the slight shuffle of feet echoing between them as they run. Jay chances another glance at Carlos, but the smaller boy is completely silent, his jaw clenched and his eyes on the line of roof ahead. Jay sets his own jaw in frustration, slowing his pace to a jog as they near the next ledge.

He knows his choice of words had been particularly harsh, and it's a threat that most definitely would have been carried out on the Isle. But here in Auradon, it feels wrong, somehow. Carlos slows to a stop and hovers warily, and Jay can feel the other boy's cautious gaze. Jay knows what he has to do, but the fact that the idea had even come to him in the first place, and in a way that was more than just a laughable suggestion, was more than a little frustrating.

"Damn it," Jay grumbles to himself. "One lesson with the Fairy Godmother and I'm going soft."

Carlos makes a muffled choking sound that Jay knows is a laugh, and he scowls as the other boy creeps over to him, raising a hand and poking Jay's cheek. Jay swats his hand away, but the other boy laughs again, his eyes glinting mischievously in the darkness.

"N-nope," Carlos chuckles. "Y-y-you're still pretty ssolid."

"Shut up," Jay mutters, shoving the boy away, but his own lips flicker into a smirk, relief surging through him at the accepted -albeit unspoken- apology.

"La-lab's down there," Carlos says, pointing to the building adjacent to them that extended out into the grassy lawn; close to where they'd been…ambushed…by that creep Chad and his group.

"After you," Jay says, gesturing towards the ledge, and Carlos shimmies out, twisting and dropping easily off the side, his hands going out and latching onto the brick patterned wall. He lowers himself down hand over hand, his feet kicking in time with his movements and keeping him balanced as he makes his way down.

"Show off," Jay grumbles, but he vaults over and climbs down himself, landing in the grass beside Carlos.

"Good?" Carlos asks, raising a brow, and Jay nods, undeniable excitement filling him at the prospect of what was to come.

"Let's do it."

* * *

Mal

Sneaking around had always been something that came easily to Mal, and was something the girl prided herself on. She liked to think that it had something to do with her half-reptilian heritage, though she knew Evie just called it a combination of privilege and practice; the privilege being that most people were too terrified of her to call her out when (if) they caught her. But none of that privilege mattered in Auradon; it was sheer talent that was getting Mal through this now.

"So when we get to the lab," Evie murmurs beside her as they creep through the halls together. "I'll use your spell book and start figuring out the translations and what I'll need for the potion."

" _Start_ figuring it out?" Mal repeats lowly, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You do know what you're doing, right E?"

"Of course," Evie scoffs mildly, but Mal catches the uncertainty in her eyes. "It's just, there aren't really magical ingredients here that I can use, since everything is back on the Isle..."

"And therefore entirely useless," Mal finishes.

"Yeah," Evie mutters. "So I'm sort of...improvising."

"Mm-hm," Mal hums skeptically. "And you need my spell book, why, exactly?"

Evie huffs impatiently, ducking down the hallway that would lead them to the library. "I don't want to have to explain it all twice," the other girl says with a sigh. "Can't you just trust me till we get there?"

Trust. A difficult concept for any of them to fully understand, but Mal understood enough of it to know what she felt for her team.

"I wouldn't have put you in charge if I didn't," Mal responds, and is rewarded when Evie relaxes, smiling back at her happily.

"Come on," the other girl says. "We're almost to the lab."

Mal follows with a tad less reluctance as they near the library, watching carefully down each hall as they approach. She pauses as she catches a glimpse of a shadow against the opposite wall, and whistles quietly to Evie. The other girl stops, immediately noticing what Mal had seen. Mal creeps up to Evie's side, eyeing the now visible figure nervously.

"It's Doug," Evie breathes in an undertone, and Mal frowns.

"Doug?"

"The kid who was with Ben when he introduced us," Evie explains impatiently. "He's the one we're supposed to go to if we need anything with the dorms."

Oh. Mal vaguely remembers him now. A nerdy kind of guy; glasses; couldn't take his eyes off Evie. Mal smirks as she notices Evie's slight blush as she stares at the boy. Clearly, she remembered that part too.

"What do we do about it?" Mal questions, noting that the boy wasn't really blocking their way. He sat just inside the library lobby, just across from the doors that opened into the hallway. His face was buried in a book, but Mal didn't doubt that at the slightest suspicious movement from them, he'd look up and they'd be caught.

"Casual," Evie murmurs, straightening from her spot against the wall.

"Casual?" Mal repeats.

"Honestly Mal," Evie sighs in a dramatic whisper. "You know nothing of the art of sneaking."

"Excuse me?" Mal snaps, a little louder than indented. She flinches, and Evie ducks back against the wall, but Doug hadn't stirred from his chair.

"If we _look_ like we're sneaking around and up to no good, then people who see us will automatically be suspicious," Evie explains quickly. "So if we walk like we're just passing through…."

"Got it," Mal intervenes, straightening from her defensive crouch. "Casual."

Evie nods, and they both move out from the wall, heads raised and bodies relaxed, but eyes watchful and wary. Mal draws a breath and holds it as they begin to pass the library doors, and Doug half-glances up from his book. The boy does a double take, and Mal tenses, thinking it's all over. But Evie simply pauses, turning to look the boy in the eye and smiling icily.

"Can we help you?" Evie says sweetly, but Mal knows that particular look, and she stifles a laugh as the boy pales, then blushes, shaking his head rapidly and stammering out a negative.

"Have a good night, then," Evie continues, then turns sharply and continues easily down the hall towards the lab.

"Way to go, E," Mal cheers, still vainly trying to stifle her laughter.

"Poor thing," Evie croons, her own eyes alight with vicious amusement. "Didn't know what hit him."

"Come on, let's hurry up and beat the boys to the lab," Mal cajoles, jogging lightly down the remainder of the hall.

The door to the science lab is locked, but it pops quickly once Mal rattles it, Jay grinning boldly down at them as he lets them in.

"About damn time," he mutters. "We found the lab, raided the library and broke into the snack machine in the time it took you guys to walk down a few flights of stairs."

"And across the lawns, and into the main building, and then through the library," Mal snaps, but Jay just laughs off her defense and locks the door securely behind them.

"Th-the-the-there's still ssome left," Carlos offers from inside the classroom. He motions to a pile of food spread out at the metal table before him.

"Yeah," Jay agrees, sifting through until he finds that same red rope-candy he'd eaten in the car ride to Auradon. "With everything Carlos and I snagged from the feast, we've practically got ourselves a second dinner."

Evie gasps quietly in delight, but Mal shakes her head. "I'm good," she says shortly, beginning to browse the rows of metal desks and grabbing beakers and glass containers off the shelves.

She knew the basics of making a potion, but Evie was the real expert. The best Mal could do was brew a simple poison, and even then it was only effective enough to offer a gradual death; unlike the instant deaths that Evie's skilled potions granted.

"You sure Mal?" Jay asks her, and Mal glances over and surveys the pile of food critically. She _was_ still pretty hungry, but she didn't want to take from a portion that the others might need more.

"There's still some of those fruit tarts," Evie tries to tempt her. "And chocolate."

Carlos shakes his head vehemently, making a negative humming noise in his throat. "Ch-ch-ch-ch-chocolate's mmine," he says fiercely, and Mal feels her lips twitch.

"Save me half of a fruit tart then," she decides, and Jay tosses her the half he hadn't finished.

"There's no apple," he promises, and she bites into the soft pastry as she finishes setting up the makeshift cauldron.

"E," Mal calls when she's done, not bothering to finish chewing first. "All set."

"Right," Evie says, licking her lips clean and wiping her hands on Jay's jacket, ignoring the other boy's swears of anguish.

Mal places her spell book down on the table, guiding Evie through the different sections of the book as Jay and Carlos explore the rest of the room.

"What kind of spell are you looking for, exactly?" Mal asks, as Evie frowns and shakes her head at a page for the third time.

"Don't you have a section for brews and potions?" Evie questions, and Mal purses her lips, trying to recall.

"Yeah," Mal drawls, nodding as she squints at the tabs she'd colored along the side of the binding. "Try the orange tab."

Evie flips to the section and grins triumphantly. "Yes, there it is!"

"What?" Jay asks, coming over to peer over Evie's shoulder.

"I'm adapting Ursula's voice stealing spell," Evie explains. "It's equal parts spell and potion, but I'm only using the potion aspect."

"Wait, what?" Jay frowns. "You're going to steal Mr. Kropp's voice?"

"Not exactly," Evie says with a dangerous grin. "More like I'm muting his voice and adding another."

"Oh," Mal says, suddenly catching on. "Oh, Evie that is…" she trails off, shaking her head in amazement. Wicked, brilliant, and any other evil adjective she could think of.

"Ok, enlighten me," Jay demands.

"Not enough time to translate it into lay man's terms," Evie says, picking the locks to the compartments beneath the desk that holds an array of chemicals and elements.

Mal silently exchanges a fist bump with the other girl in appreciation of the burn, while Jay grumbles and joins Carlos in a raid of the metal cabinets along the opposite wall. Evie mutters to herself as she pulls out a few vials of chemicals, comparing some against the spell book and replacing what she deems unnecessary.

"Ok," Evie says finally. "Ok I've got the base ingredients going now, so all that's left is the specifics."

"Uh, hold up, E," Mal cuts in, scanning a line in the book. "It says you need some kind of vessel to…."

"That's only if I'm taking his voice," Evie breaks in smoothly, lighting the hidden burner in the desk and setting the beaker over it. "I'm not stealing his voice, only…changing it."

"So then, the specific ingredients," Mal presses.

Evie grimaces at that, shaking her head slightly. "Ursula and all her aquatic oddities," she complains. "Most of these I can just substitute, but the crucial ones: sea urchin venom, dried crushed kelp, powdered coral root, shriveled cod head and scales…" Evie huffs a sigh as she finishes. "There's very little room for substituting there, and the measurements!"

"One of the tricky ones?" Mal guesses.

Contrary to popular belief, potion making was an exact science; too much or too little of a certain ingredient could literally be the difference between life and death.

But Evie shakes her head, throwing up her hands in frustration. "No! I swear she just threw everything into a boiling cauldron and called it a day!"

"P-pretty sure she did, ac-ac-actually," Carlos chimes in from the other side of the room.

Mal shoots him a glare and he falls silent, picking the lock on another metal cabinet.

"And that's not even the best part," Evie continues. "While Ursula's brew was quick and more…explosive in nature, the potion I'm adapting from it will take a few days to fully settle."

"Wait, what?" Mal snaps, and Jay and Carlos exchange nervous glances. "A few days?"

"Maybe two," Evie amends, wincing. "A good bit of it is just making sure all the ingredients incorporate fully, and we're starting now, so that gets rid of some of that time."

"But where are we even going to get these ingredients?" Jay asks. "I mean, sea urchins, kelp?"

"Ooh!" Carlos lifts his head, his eyes widening slightly. "M-m-miss Ly-lykke."

"Who?" Mal asks, furrowing her brows at him.

"The music teacher," Evie clarifies, nodding thoughtfully. "One of Ariel's daughters."

Jay laughs. "Well if anyone would have oceany things it's her."

"Ok," Mal says, relieved that some solutions were being found. "We'll see what we can find out there."

Evie nods, turning the burner down a notch. "Ok, then…."

A dull clang, followed by a startled scream cuts her off, and Mal stands sharply, turning to find Carlos frozen in front of the now open metal cabinet. One hand grips the metal door tightly, while the other signs jerkily by his side; a flat palm that he twists over in a flip-flop motion.

[Dead.]

"Carlos?" Evie says carefully, but the boy is frozen, his hand repeating the sign over and over.

[Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead]

Jay leaps over a desk, landing by Carlos' side and peering into the cabinet. He whistles sharply, reaching in and pulling a glass jar from the shelves before slowly closing the cabinet door. Mal leans over the desk, frowning at the object.

"What is it?" she questions sharply. Anything that could paralyze Carlos like that must be dangerous.

Jay plops the jar down beside Evie with a flourish, wiping his hands on his jeans. "You asked for fish head and scales?" he says, motioning to the jar.

"Ugh, Jay that's disgusting," Mal grimaces, turning her gaze away from the lifeless fish that was crammed into the jar, black eyes wide and staring as it floated in tepid water.

"No it's perfect," Evie cries, not hesitating to open the jar and begin scraping scales into the boiling beaker before her, then severing the head with a scalpel and adding it to the mix.

"Right, well, someone should make sure Carlos isn't having a mental breakdown," Mal says pointedly as Jay begins stabbing at the remaining fish body with one of the other tools.

Jay glances up and catches her glare, and he sighs, dropping the scalpel disappointedly. "Got it," he mutters, walking across the room and taking Carlos by the shoulders, dragging him away from the cabinets.

"Out of curiosity," Mal says, taking up the scalpel and continuing Jay's cause. "Why do the Auradonians have jars full of dead things?"

"For when they do dissections," Evie guesses, adding another small amount of some chemical.

"Alright, well what now?" Mal asks, eyeing the potion, which was steaming and had turned a pale lavender color.

"Jay," Evie whispers, and Jay glances up from his place in the corner with Carlos. "I need the dust," she instructs.

"How much of it?" Jay asks warily.

Evie frowns, studying the potion critically before looking back up at him. "All of it."

"What?" Jay protests. "Why do you need all of it?"

"It's the magical activator in the potion," Evie explains apologetically. "Normally, I'd be able to pull from the available magic, or use my own, but…." She trails off in slight embarrassment, and Mal feels a twinge of sympathy, which she immediately fights to shove away.

Despite the fact that magic was allowed in Auradon, it was so rarely used that it was left to simply float around at will, wild and free as it drifted the air. The magic could be channeled through something, or even syphoned off into a vessel- say, a magic wand- or even be drained into a potion. Unfortunately for their purposes, the magical barrier of the Isle prevented anyone from being able to channel or use any kind of magic; even the magic already contained in vessels, like Grimhilde's magic mirror.

And so, the lack of ability to actively use and practice magic (small potions not withstanding), led to this painful stalemate. Evie hovers anxiously over the still steaming potion, pleading silently with Jay while Mal tries to influence him through a far more obvious and dangerous glare.

"I just don't get it," Jay complains, stubbornly holding out. "If you can do magic, and there's plenty of it here, why can't you just magically activate it yourself?"

Mal growls a warning curse, while Evie sighs, rolling her eyes.

"It's not that simple," Evie huffs in frustration. "Yes, there's magic, and I can feel it." She whimpers longingly, and Mal grimaces, understanding because she could feel it, too. "I just can't reach it," Evie finishes with a mournful look at the brewing potion before her.

Carlos hedges over, a sympathetic frown on his face despite his slight shivering. Jay grumbles under his breath, but Mal knows he's relenting because he draws the small bag of pixie dust from his pocket.

"But do you really have to use all of it?" he whines, hefting the bag in his palm. "It wasn't easy convincing CJ to let me have even this much."

"Oh, I'm ssure it w-w-wasn't," Carlos murmurs slyly, jarring Jay's arm with his elbow and catching the bag as it tumbles from the other boy's fingers. Carlos tosses the bag to Evie while Jay splutters, and Mal chuckles quietly.

"See Carlos," Mal says, ruffling the boy's hair. "I knew there was a reason I brought you into the group all those years ago."

The smaller boy peers up at her, his eyebrows lifting in a way that was both curious and hopeful. "Y-yeah?"

Mal nods, still smirking. "You've got all the resourceful and quick thinking we need."

Jay scoffs, rolling his eyes, while Evie adds the fairy dust to the potion and it begins to glow faintly.

"I thought you said it was because having a mute psychopath as an ally would be beneficial for the group," Jay mutters, and Mal's eyes flash as she shoots him a glare.

"Shut up," she hisses sharply.

"W-wa-wait, wwhat?" Carlos says, his brow furrowing as he glances around at them all, but especially at Mal.

"To be fair," Evie chimes in, an amused smile playing about her lips. "You were pretty hardcore at the time."

"B-but a sssych… I w-wasn't crazy!" Carlos protests, to their resounding laughter. "G-guys, really?"

"It was a long time ago," Mal murmurs, leaning against the table closest to the door and beginning to listen for motion in the hallway. "We know the truth about you now."

"W-asn't that long ag-ag-ago," Carlos complains, crossing his arms sullenly.

It really hadn't been, Mal muses quietly as she watches Evie begin to pack away the half-finished potion, and Jay starts scouting out escape routes. They had barely been in their adolescent stages; Mal was pretty sure Jay had been the only one in double digits at the time. She grins to herself as she remembers that initial encounter with the son of Cruella de Vil.

"If anything you should be mad at Evie," Mal says quietly, as the girl in question finishes stowing the potion in the very back of the cabinet of dead frogs. "Since she's the one who found you."

"Ammbushed is b-etter," Carlos counters, and Evie makes an indignant noise.

Jay whistles softly from his spot by the window, and they all freeze. Mal straightens, raising her hand in a tight fist; their signal for total quiet and eyes on me. She creeps over to the other side of the window by Jay and glances at him worriedly. She signs; bringing her left hand up in a flat, slightly angled palm and drawing the tip of her right index finger down across it in a quick sliding motion.

[What?]

Jay brings a hand up, two fingers spread apart and tented like legs, and he makes a 'walking' motion with the fingers. Someone was coming.

Mal tenses, but doesn't dare glance out the window to see for herself. Instead she signs back; bringing both hands, palms up in loose 'O' fist shapes; then she lifts her hands slightly, spreading her fingers as she does so, her brow furrowed in question.

[How many?]

Jay lifts his chin and adjusts his head so he can peer out of the corner of his eye. He frowns, then turns back to Mal and whispers. "Two," he says. "One is definitely Ben; couldn't tell who the other was."

"Doug," Evie hisses sharply from behind them. "He was the only one who saw Mal and I on our way here."

Mal growls, and begins plotting revenge against the boy, but Jay shakes his head. "Nah," he denies quietly. "Too tall."

"It doesn't matter," Mal interjects. Well, it did, but... "What matters is getting out of here unseen."

Jay and Evie nod, but Carlos is trembling, face ghostly pale against the darkness of the room. His hands shake as he signs, motioning to himself and Jay before gesturing upwards.

[Should we go up?]

"No," Mal says, a little too harshly. The boy flinches and she grimaces as she softens her tone minutely. "We stay together and stay low. Jay and I will scout us a route. You and Evie make sure everything is as it should be in this room."

"Got it," Evie agrees with a firm nod, and Mal looks to Carlos, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Carlos?" Mal questions, but the boy is frozen, trembling in fear and anticipation. "Damn it Carlos," Mal hisses under her breath. "Now is really not the time..."

"Go," Jay says firmly, abandoning his post to gently push Carlos against the wall, where the smaller boy slumps weakly, still shaking. "Evie and I will take care of the room and Carlos; you find the way out."

Mal nods, grateful, and slips quickly and silently from the room. It's not a fear of showing weakness that caused her hesitation with comforting Carlos. She'd done her fair enough share of that, however horribly. But she wasn't as good as Evie at getting in touch with her emotions to be able to empathize well, and Jay had more experience with the younger boy's traumas than she did. It was simply a happy convenience that she was better at scouting escape routes than hand holding.

She creeps along the hall, in the opposite direction of the library and the way that Ben and whoever would most likely come in. She scans the rooms on either side of her warily, tense and ready for anything that would come at her. It was dark and quiet, just as she liked it, but she knew better than to let her guard down, especially for this.

A map appears in an intersection ahead of her, and she jogs rapidly over to it, squinting through the darkness in an attempt to make out where they were. It was a vain attempt; the hall too dark, with no windows to let in the dim moonlight. She makes a noise of disgust and turns on her heel, only to come face to face with a suit of armor. She fights to regain control of her heartbeat, the traitorous organ suddenly speeding up in the light of her surprise.

Checking the hall, and satisfied at the lack of sounds of an approach, Mal crosses to the suit of armor and presses herself against the wall beside it. If anyone were to come down the hall now, they'd only see the tin knight. Mal taps the side of the knight with the back of her fist, her voice barely above a whisper as she asks:

"How can I get from here to the dorms without being seen?"

It was a risk, especially if the suit of armor decided to shout his answer, but the helmet barely creaks as it opens, and the hollow voice that rings out in response is just as quiet as her own voice.

"The dormitories are in the Fantasia building; you are currently in the main school building."

"Yeah, like I didn't already know I was in the school," Mal mutters, but the suit ignores her and continues his instructions.

"To reach the Fantasia building from the school without being seen, proceed across the lawn from the right wing and continue along behind the dining hall. Enter the Fantasia building through the back exit and ascend the Merlin staircase. You will reach your desired location without notice."

"Wow," Mal marvels, nodding in approval. "You know you're pretty chill for an inanimate suit of armor."

The suit doesn't respond, but Mal doesn't expect it to. She rushes back down the halls to the science lab, but freezes when she hears voices coming up from the library.

"…wouldn't want to disturb you from your rest, would I, Aziz?" A voice which Mal recognizes as Ben's murmurs quietly.

Another voice answers, one Mal doesn't recognize but almost could have mistaken it for Jay's if she hadn't known better.

"Ah, I figured you wouldn't unless it were a 'real emergency,' right, Your Highness?"

Ben scoffs quietly at the sarcasm surrounding 'Your Highness,' and it takes Mal all of two seconds to put the pieces together. She's cursing herself furiously for not noticing it earlier, but doesn't have time to react further because the voices have come to a stop just outside the science lab.

"Well, there was definitely a break in," the strange voice known as Aziz murmurs. "Whoever broke this lock must be a genius." There's awe and pride in the accented voice, and Mal frowns.

"And why is that?" Ben asks, and Mal can almost picture his own frown from the unamused tone of his voice.

"Well, for one, this is not an easy sort of lock to pick," Aziz responds, a dull clicking following his words. "And whoever did it not only broke the lock, but put it back together again perfectly."

That's Carlos, Mal thinks, a smug pride of her own filling her as she hears the strange boy's complements.

"Wait, Aziz," Ben splutters softly. "Did you just pick the lock?"

"Hey, to catch a thief," the other responds easily.

Mal can practically see the easy shrug and casual smile; it's exactly something Jay would say and do. She almost wants to creep further forward to see what this Aziz guy looked like, but she knows better, and keeps to the shadows as the light within the classroom flickers on suddenly.

"What do you think?" Ben's voice asks from inside the classroom.

"I gotta say, whoever broke in is definitely a genius," the voice that was Aziz responds.

"You mentioned that," Ben says, not sounding amused at all. "Is anything missing? Broken?"

"No," Aziz replies, his voice still full of that strange pride, like he'd accomplished this feat himself. "Nothing is broken or stolen; everything is exactly as it should be."

Mal feels relief, but also a hint of panic. Her group wasn't in the classroom; that much was obvious. But if they had managed to get out, then where….?

"…except the window," Aziz says, and Mal stiffens, tuning back in to the conversation. "It's open. Sloppy exit if you ask me; and, you are, so…" The boy makes a disappointed noise, and Mal stifles a curse.

Who had left the window open? She was going to _kill_ whoever had left the window open! The voices inside the classroom draw closer, and Mal begins to back away from the classroom; quiet, but rapidly.

"Whoever it is must be heading back to the dorms," Ben guesses. "We could try and catch up to them…"

"No," Mal hears Aziz say as she turns a corner, their voices now in the hallway. "They would figure we'd think they'd be going to the dorms, and go a different way."

"…the rest of the floor, then," is all Mal manages to catch of Ben's response, before she is sprinting out of the building and out onto the lawn.

She spins on her heel and hisses a curse as she realizes she's nowhere near the right wing of the building, and still with no clue where Jay, Carlos and Evie were. She crouches low to avoid the windows and jogs back around to the correct section, the presses herself to the side of the brick and waits, scanning the yard as she catches her breath.

Think Mal, she tells herself. They'd know better than to go back into the school if there were people approaching, and they wouldn't go straight to the dorms; not if we were all split up. She straightens from her defensive pose and draws a slow breath, releasing it in a series of four, slow whistled notes. She pauses a moment, then draws another breath and whistles again.

She holds her breath, listening intently, and is rewarded when two short whistles ring out in response. Relief surges through her and she jogs towards the sound, still alert, but hopeful as she stops just before the lawn turns into the gardens. She whistles again, and a voice whispers:

"Mal!"

She turns, and spots Evie and Carlos pressed into the crook of a white gazebo. She jogs over and they creep out, and Mal frowns, glancing around the rest of the garden.

"Where's Jay?" she asks, and the tree beside the gazebo shakes before the boy in question drops down from its branches.

"At your service," Jay whispers, grinning at her. She glares at him, and his smile falters. "What did I do?"

"You left the window open, that's what!" Mal growls. She knows it was him; Jay always got sloppy when he was rushing.

"What? No I didn't," Jay protests, crossing his arms defensively.

"You did," Mal insists. "Because Ben and that kid he was with searched the place, and said that whoever broke in left the window open."

"Shit," Evie whispers, her eyes wide. "They're searching for us?"

"Yeah," Mal confirms tightly. "But they're searching inside the school, so we need to get back to the dorms _now_."

"Right," Jay says firmly, and Evie nods in agreement.

Mal glances over at Carlos, but he doesn't seem to be completely there. His eyes meet hers and he blinks, nodding quickly; but Mal had seen the distant, haunted look in his eyes. Whatever memories that had been shaken loose in the lab were still bothering him, and judging from his reaction to the dead things in the jars, Mal has a painful suspicion she knows what it is.

"Carlos, stick with Evie," Mal decides. "Jay and I will take point. We stay low, and stay close; in sight."

"How are we getting back to the dorms, then?" Jay asks, and Mal relays the information the knight had told her.

"So we all know the plan?" Mal asks, scanning everyone's faces closely for certainty. She receives it in tense nods and glittering eyes, Carlos' eyes shining just a little brighter than the others. Mal tries to tell herself he'd be fine as long as he stuck with Evie and the plan, but even she doesn't quite believe it.

"Let's go," Mal whispers sharply, starting forward with Jay close at her side.

Evie and Carlos peel off from their trail and continue a steady pace across the lawn, ducking low to avoid sight from anyone looking out from the school. Mal waits until they're well away from the gardens before deciding to voice her thoughts.

"What happened in the lab?" she asks softly. Jay doesn't respond right away, but the subtle clench of his jaw is more than enough of an answer.

"He's tough," Jay says, eyes scanning the yard ahead as they run. "He'll be fine."

Mal wants to say that it wasn't a matter of Carlos being tough or fine, it was a matter of survival, but she thinks better of it and stay silent. She can see the dorms building up ahead, and she slows her pace, signaling for Jay to do the same. He does, shortening his stride, and picks up on Mal's intentions when he catches her scanning the yard. He whistles shortly, and the four note whistle is repeated back from up ahead.

Mal jerks her head and they start up again, reaching the building just as Evie and Carlos do. Evie catches Mal's eye and smiles victoriously, but Mal keeps her own expression blank and solemn. It wouldn't do to celebrate too early. One of the crueler lessons the Isle had taught her.

Evie understands and resumes her serious attitude, as Jay cracks open the bottom window. It opens at an angle and threatens to drop the moment he releases it. He grabs it again and holds it, and Mal quickly begins to delegate.

"Carlos, in," she commands softly.

The smaller boy jumps, but quickly swings himself through the window and lands soundlessly on the other side.

"Jay, go," Mal whispers. "Straight up the stairs."

Jay doesn't hesitate, and lifts himself through and secures the window behind him. They share a nod through the glass before Jay disappears from view, taking Carlos with him.

"Wait, Mal," Evie starts, but Mal quickly cuts through her confusion and explains quickly.

"If Ben is searching the school, odds are he'll find Doug, who will tell him he saw you and I in the library."

"Oh," Evie whispers, realizing.

"No one saw Jay and Carlos, so they can slip in the side, while we go the more direct route; the route they'll be expecting from us."

"Yeah, ok," Evie agrees, and they sneak around to the front of the building.

Mal fights to regain her 'casual' demeanor, following Evie's lead this time as they enter the building, whispering nonsense to each other but keeping watchful eyes on their surroundings. Thankfully, they climb the stairs with no incident, and Mal practically melts with relief when they finally reach the boy's room.

"You did great with the potion, E," Mal murmurs, and the other girl laughs quietly.

"It's not even finished yet, M," Evie answers back. "But when it is, then you can tell me how great I am."

Mal scoffs, rolling her eyes and placing a hand on the doorknob. "I wouldn't go that far," she says, but Evie's laugher cuts off suddenly as Mal shoves the door open and they walk in.

The room looks like one of Carlos' improvised bombs had gone off; and while the mess isn't exactly a surprise, the fact that the boy himself is nowhere to be seen -and Jay is pacing and cursing furiously throughout the room- is more than enough to send a chill down Mal's spine.

"Carlos?" she demands. Jay grimaces, rubbing his hands nervously as he jerks his head towards the closet.

Mal frowns, striding over to the closet and sliding the door back. Carlos is tucked into the farthest corner, a pile of random objects, screws and springs and batteries scattered around him. His concentration is on the small black box in his hands, and he doesn't even look up when Mal calls his name.

"I swear Carlos, if you're making another explosive…," Mal warns, but it's only half-hearted because she knows that when Carlos' tinkering turns destructive it means he's one shove away from falling over the edge.

Mal sighs and backs out of the closet, but she leaves the door cracked enough to let in some light. She turns to Jay and Evie, who've both taken nervous seats on the edge of the beds.

"What is it?" Mal demands of Jay as she moves to sit beside Evie on the bed.

"One of the remotes for the TV," Jay replies, his lips twitching in brief amusement. "He's taken it apart and put it back together at least twice in the five minutes it took you guys to get here."

Evie giggles quietly at that, but Mal snorts in mock derision.

"Only twice?" Mal says. "He's losing his edge."

But inwardly she's simultaneously relieved and worried. He wasn't building an explosive, but he was definitely retreating into himself too much if it had really taken him that long; he could easily have smashed the remote to pieces and still have every piece perfectly back in place in half that time.

"He's not losing his edge," Jay retorts, rolling his eyes at her. "It's just that now we know the potion isn't going to work right away-"

He pauses to glare at Evie, who sticks her tongue out at him with a glare.

"-we have to endure another biology lesson with Kropp," Jay finishes with a grumble. "Not to mention our first of a week's worth of detentions."

Evie straightens and hisses so sharply Mal is reminded of a cat. Mal is no less startled, but reigns in her terror and channels her anger instead, standing coldly and towering over Jay as she fixes him with an icy stare.

"Detention?" she repeats, and Jay shrinks beneath her glare, his tanned skin seeming to pale slightly in the face of her wrath.

"Shit, Mal," he starts, then falters, tugging at the edge of his hat nervously. "Fuck, it's not what…."

"Not what I think?" Mal finishes fiercely. "Don't you _dare_ say it's not what I think!"

"Mal," Evie murmurs behind her, but Mal ignores the girl's attempts to calm her and continues her relentless glare at Jay.

"P-please," Mal hears a whimper, and she turns to see Carlos hovering in the door of the closet, face pale and anxious as he stares up at her. "Do-do-don't yell."

Mal growls through gritted teeth, and she wants to be mad at the boy, wants to scream at him 'what were you thinking?', because fuck it all it had been him who'd started the whole thing. But she can't; not with him staring at her, all eyes and shrunken small, weak and vulnerable and fucking _pathetic_.

Mal swipes a hand tiredly over her brow, shutting out her view of the trembling boy. "Fucking _hell_ , Carlos, what were you thinking?" she breathes softly.

"Hey don't take it out on him," Jay snaps, and Mal pries her eyes open to glare at him once again. "It's not all his fault."

"I didn't say it was," Mal replies, forcing her tone to remain even, if only because screaming profanities like she wanted would only make her head hurt.

"I only asked what he was thinking; because pulling a knife on an Auradon kid; getting _detention_ …." Her stomach clenches painfully at the very thought of the word. "It's not exactly sticking to the plan."

"I-I-it's not dete-dete-detention like the Isle," Carlos whispers, edging carefully around Mal to join Evie on the bed. "It's with Fffairy G-odmother, so…if that he-helps…."

It didn't, not in the least, but Mal wasn't going to risk being the one push to drive Carlos to turn that TV remote into a detonator, so she forces herself to breathe. She tries for a smile, but knows it's more of a grimace.

"Just try not to cause any more trouble than necessary?" she asks, and Carlos nods sheepishly, ducking his head to hide the sudden flush of his cheeks.

Mal snorts and turns to Jay, fixing him with another cold look. "I mean it," she growls at him, and Jay spreads his hands innocently.

"When have I ever caused trouble?" he gasps. "Carlos is the psychopath, remember?"

"Oh c-c-c-ome on!" Carlos splutters indignantly. "I thought wwe were ov-ver this!"

No, Mal thought as Evie and Jay began to laugh and pester Carlos with memories. We're not over this. Not until they succeeded; not until she'd made Maleficent proud; not until they got the wand and exacted revenge on every single prince and princess who had cursed them to their miserable existence. Not until then, would they truly be over it. And Mal couldn't _wait_ for that day.


	7. Other things that go bump in the night

**Hey guys! Happy Holidays and a belated Merry Christmas to all of you! (I know that's not a thing, but just go with it.) I hope you all had a blessed time with your families, regardless of what you celebrate this time of year.**

 **I had been hoping to get this chapter up for you by Christmas as a present, but it didn't end up being finished until now, but hopefully you'll appreciate the thought.**

 **On to the reviews!**

 **anonimo: ¡Me alegra que disfrutes mucho mi historia! Esperemos que esta actualización le satisfará sin la capa y la daga! (I had to a little double take, lol! You'll have to let me know if you prefer if I continue addressing you in Spanish or English, though I don't mind the Spanish. Helps broaden my dialogue a bit. ;))**

 **Tiredandlazy: I always look forward to your reviews so I don't know what you're talking about, lol! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, including my inclusion of Aziz. I was afraid no one would know who he is, since I myself only discovered him as I was researching characters for this story. Although if it makes you feel any better, Aziz _is_ in the movie. According to the Wikia, he's on the tourney team, and sings Be Our Guest with the others, and also makes an appearance in the coronation. And as for whether any 'enemies' will make an appearance, well, I have to keep some of my secrets, don't I? ;)**

 **Anna: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you love my story so much and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **theNiceDevil: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, and I hope you'll continue to read and review.**

 **Forever Furuba: I'm glad you like my portrayal of Audrey here. I feel like she was just too overboard and bratty in the movie (though there's always one like that in a Disney movie, lol) so I wanted to make her a little more 'real' here. And yes, gotta love those magical knights! And, I mentioned to Tiredandlazy, since they were upset about Aziz as well; I discovered that he does make a few small appearances in the movie, but he was never credited because his character 'technically' got cut from the film last minute. :( But I made sure to give him extra attention here.**

 **Asuka1920: Well hopefully you're here reading more now! :)**

 **keirstinpaige: Thank you! I'm glad you appreciate my evil genius, lol! I can't wait to write the actual event of revenge!**

 **AllGlitchedUp: He is adorably destructive, isn't he? I'm glad you love this story, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **BooksEnPointe: Thank you for the kind review! It's always good to hear that my writing is being enjoyed and appreciated! I'm still working out the relationships for this story, to be honest. Given the nature of what I'm working with, and some of the backstories for the VKs, I don't know if they'll be in a position to form a romantic relationship so soon. (Or at least, so Disney soon, haha.) But I do have some ideas so hopefully you'll continue to read and see them play out!**

 **Claw06: Thank you for the review! Hopefully this update will answer some of your questions, and that you continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: That is quite the username! :) I'm glad you enjoy this story so much, and you'll definitely be getting some more backstory in this chapter, so hopefully you'll appreciate that. And thank you for the kind words!**

* * *

 **Ok, so Author's Notes! This chapter is also a long one for you guys, so hopefully it can tide you over till the next update. A heads up that the beginning of this chapter contains a flashback, so the tense is changed and the POV is in _italics_ , to let you know something different is happening. The POV returns to normal when the flashback has ended. **

*****Warnings for this chapter includes the usual, sign language, and crude language, but there is a WARNING for violence and blood, plus mentions of child abuse and mental health issues such as panic attacks, suicide and depression. WARNINGS also, for the end of the chapter contains a panic attack, so for those who trigger easily for those sorts of things, be warned!*****

 **And on that note, on to the chapter! I hope you all will enjoy and I can't wait to hear what you all think!**

 **-Raven**

* * *

 _Carlos_

Don't get caught.

That was the only thing on the boy's mind, the only rule that he could remember as he raced through the streets. A simple rule, the first thing anyone on the Isle was taught. Anything was allowed, just as long as you didn't get caught. But it was also easier than done, especially if your hair was as white as snow and couldn't run to save your life.

"Gonna get you, Freak!"

Which it just might turn out to be, if the angry swears and yells from behind him were any indication.

The boy ran, clutching tightly to the scarf in his hands, sweat pouring down his face and stinging his eyes. He could only be grateful that he was small enough to squeeze through spaces his pursuers could not, but even that wouldn't be enough to save him if they could catch him in an open area. He turned sharply, slamming into the brick wall of the alleyway, picking himself up and continuing on with barely a backwards glance. If he could just reach the gates he'd be safe. No one would dare mess with him within the confines of de Vil manor.

Then something snagged his foot and he fell, tumbling out into the street and crashing into a market stall. He winced as the stall owner started yelling, and wasn't fast enough to dodge the boot that slammed into his side. He gasped, scrambling away from the assault, eyes wide as he tried to figure out where he was and how to get out.

A girl stood just across the street, standing in the shadows cast by the walls around her. She was smiling, a wicked gleam in her eye that suggested she had been the cause of his fall. Carlos scowled at her, then flinched away as the street vendor came at him again, ranting and raving about paying for the damage he'd caused. He regained his balance and bolted, away from the shops and the streets, but he was once again grabbed and slammed to the ground, the heavy stench of sweat, perfume and gunpowder combining into a noxious odor that told him quite plainly that his pursuers had finally caught up to him.

"You've got something that doesn't belong to you, runt," a thick voice rasped in his ear.

Carlos grimaced at the smell of the boy's breath, jerking back roughly and twisting out of the constricting grip. He turned, and scowled as fiercely as he could at his attackers, who outnumbered him three to one. Leroux was the tallest of the group, lean and athletic, but incredibly strong in spite of the Isle's malnourishment. Although it was to be expected of him, being the son of Gaston himself.

"It bbelonged to my mo-mother first," Carlos growled out, but the taller boy just smirked.

"It's Antoine's now, and you're going to give it back."

Antoine Tremaine, nephew of the Lady Tremaine, snickered breathlessly as he hovered just to Leroux's left. The boy was an aristocrat through and through, and had probably never been involved in any kind of physical scuffle in his life; but he had a sadistic streak to rival his Aunt's. Carlos didn't doubt that whatever horrible thing they had planned for him for stealing back the scarf, it would be Antoine's idea.

"Give it back, Freak," Leroux demanded again, a sharp gleam in his eye.

Carlos grit his teeth, trying to contain his own retort. He could think of a million different things he would do that didn't involve giving the scarf back; unless it was to shove it down the idiot's throat. But he needed to bring it back home with him. He didn't even want to think about what his mother would do if he came back empty handed. Again.

"Maybe you need a little motivation."

At those words the third boy of the group shoved his way forward, and Carlos paled, stumbling back as Clay, son of Clayton, towered over him. The boy was just like his father, broad shouldered and muscular, and entirely ruthless. Carlos gripped the scarf tightly in one hand, as the other fumbled blindly at his belt, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of his knife. The familiar feel of the weapon in his hand gave him just a bit more comfort, and he straightened from his defensive crouch, arranging his features into a cold glare.

Leroux and Antoine faltered, but Clay simply chuckled, cracking his knuckles menacingly. Words wouldn't work on this buffoon, Carlos realized, and he shivered in anticipation as he drew a breath, his lips curling into a silent snarl. This time, Clay did falter, but then his own face twisted into a sneer, and he slammed Carlos back into the wall.

"That the best you can do, Freak?" the larger boy hissed, twisting the arm that held the knife. "Does the little puppy actually think he can beat the hunter?"

Carlos wanted to retort that if a bunch of monkeys and a wild man could snap his father's neck, then this little puppy most definitely could do the same. But it was too many words, and his breath was suddenly cut off as the other boy viciously dug his arm into his throat. Leroux and Antoine were snickering stupidly behind them, and Carlos grit his teeth, growling a warning as he struggled against the constricting grip. His wrist jerked sharply upwards, and he was rewarded when the chokehold released, and a multitude of cursing reached his ears- some even in French, courtesy of both Leroux and Antoine.

Carlos giggled as he watched Clay, now bleeding heavily from what was definitely a missing finger, whimper and scramble around desperately, searching for his severed appendage. Unfortunately for him, Antoine noticed his amusement and glowered fiercely, Leroux closing in just behind him.

"You're gonna pay for that, asshole," Leroux promised, while Antoine crouched next to Clay, using his handkerchief to help staunch the bleeding.

"What do you think, Clay," the thin boy said. "Break his fingers? Cut off a hand? An eye for an eye sort of thing, right. It's only fair."

"Merde," Carlos whispered hoarsely as Leroux came at him, murderous intent lighting in the boy's eyes as he grasped Carlos' left arm firmly, pinning him to the brick wall behind him.

"Antoine," Leroux called over his shoulder. "Be a dear, won't you? You've got the better handwriting, after all."

Carlos squirmed desperately in the boy's grip, trying vainly to get away as panic began to get to him. It occurred to him that these boys were all much older and larger than him, that he was only seven and way too young to be pissing off the local thugs. That maybe he should have played the coward role instead of his callous one. But this all occurred to him too late.

Too late because Antoine had already pried his knife from his trapped hand. Too late because that very blade was now being used against him, carving mercilessly into his skin. Pain exploded along every nerve and Carlos fought hard not to release the scream that was building in his throat. He couldn't look weak, even now.

"…and just to top it all off…."

Carlos barely registered Leroux's sadistic words, but he did register when the hands shifted on his body, grabbing his right arm in a death grip. Before he could fully react to what was happening, there was a sharp jerk, and a loud crack rang in his ears. It was the shock of the noise that made him yell, but then the pain hit, and it hit hard. He screamed then, his whole right side seemingly engulfed in white hot flames, radiating out from his shoulder and going down the length of his arm. The weight was gone from his body and he rolled onto his left side, tears streaming down his face as he reached desperately around to cradle his injured arm. He could see boots swimming before his eyes, and he flinched, letting out another scream as it connected with his already injured shoulder.

The scarf lay on the ground before him, and he scrambled, reaching as best as he could for it despite the pain. A boot came down on the scarf, stopping his efforts, but it was different from the polished boots of his enemies. This one was blue. A curse was grumbled out from somewhere above him, and he could hear them taking a few steps forward.

"He's ours."

The boot didn't shift from the scarf, and he could only make out the edge of the person's face from where he lay, but he didn't like his chances against another potential threat.

"He's mine now."

It was a girl, judging from the voice, but there was an edge to her tone that made even his tormentors pause. He watched as they glared at each other, but the girl wasn't backing down, and he heard another low curse before something wet hit him in the face.

"Just you wait, runt," he heard. "That witch won't be around to protect you forever."

"Witch?" The girl repeated, but she sounded amused. "That's a new one. I'll be sure to add it to my list."

With a few more curses and nasty insults, they fled, and he was left alone with his savior. Well, maybe. He sat up slowly, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from making any noise, but a small whimper escaped him anyway as his arm gave a particularly nasty throb.

"I hate to sound concerned, but…are you ok?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure how to respond to that. He tried for a nod, but his head was spinning, and he grit his teeth as nausea churned in his stomach.

"Liar," she said, but it wasn't angry or threatening.

She crouched down, and he was finally able to make out her face. She was nine years old, with pale skin, and dark hair that seemed to melt into blue at the ends. Her eyes were a pale blue, like he would imagine the sky would look if it weren't perpetually grey. He felt another pang as he recognized her as the girl from the alleyway; the one who had tripped him as he was running. He felt his features twist into a scowl, and the girl smiled, a hint of a laugh in her voice as she spoke.

"I wasn't going to pass up a perfect opportunity," she said, rightly reading his expression.

He grimaced angrily, but didn't bother to ask what had made her change her mind.

"I'm Evie, by the way," she continued easily.

He started to respond, then closed his mouth again as the words spasmed painfully in his throat. He winced apologetically, and she raised a brow.

"One of the quiet ones, huh?" she said. "Well, I won't ask how you got tangled up with Leroux and his goons. They did a number on you, though didn't they? Dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist! I didn't know that physically possible. Not to mention, well…" she trailed off and glanced pointedly at his left arm, which was still dripping red from being carved up by Claw.

Carlos shifted his arm out of view and cast another glare her way, wishing he could find a way to tell her off with as few words as possible. Even the two that were currently at the forefront of his mind were still too much, and he settled for sullen silence in the hopes that that could make her go away on her own.

"You should probably get that looked at."

More sullen silence.

"I know someone, if you wanted…" She grabbed his free arm and pulled him to his feet before he could respond, and he yelped as his other arm was jostled painfully.

"Sorry," she said, not looking it at all. She reached down and scooped up the fallen scarf, shaking it free of mud and weaving it through her fingers. "This is yours, I believe," she began, but then she smiled, her eyes glimmering mischievously. "Well, I guess it's mine now; to repay me for saving your life."

"No!" He choked out, stumbling forward and trying to grab the scarf back from her. "Please! I ne-need that!"

Her eyes widened even as she held the scarf away from him. "Oh," she murmured. "So you're the one they were talking about! There was talk around about a kid who…."

"Co-co-couldn't talk?" He finished with a sneer, but it was only to keep the flicker of hurt from showing on his face.

"Cruella, right?" She asked, pointing at him with the hand holding the scarf. He stopped, staring blankly as she extended her other hand. "Evil Queen," she continued, grasping his free hand and shaking once before releasing him.

"Yeah," he said quietly, unnerved by her strange attitude. "Crr…" he broke off with a frustrated grimace, blushing slightly, but she only seemed amused by his pathetic attempt at words.

"Come on," she said, and with that she proceeded to drag him out of the alleyway and back into the street. He allowed himself to be led through the twists and turns, his eyes on the scarf that she'd tied around her wrist, plotting in his mind how he was going to get it back. She stopped just outside an impressive looking castle, complete with a drawbridge, though it was closed up and secured with an ominous iron fence.

"We have to go around the side," she said, and he shook his head, staring up at the massive turrets.

"W-w-here?" He whispered, and she huffed a little.

"That friend I told you about," she explained. "The one who can fix your arm. She lives here."

Here? He thought, staring up at the foreboding castle. It looked like something straight out of a storybook. It even had stone gargoyles on the turrets at the top. No wait, not gargoyles…dragons. Even better.

"We have to go around the side," Evie repeated, dragging him along once more until the stood above a narrow opening in the ground. It was low, and he couldn't even see inside it was so dark, but she nudged him towards it anyway.

"Normally we climb down, but that won't be an option for you. Just jump, but uh, don't forget to bend your knees."

She shoved him even as he was gathering the breath to protest, and he let out a strangled yelp as he fell down through the hole. He remembered at the last second to bend his knees, but his legs still jolted painfully as he landed, and he winced, blinking as his eyes began to adjust to the dim light. He gasped as he felt something brush against him, but he was tackled and slammed against the nearest wall for what seemed like the millionth time that day. The difference here, however, came in the form of a sharp knife, which was shoved against his throat with enough force to cut him if he so much as dared to swallow.

"Who are you and why shouldn't I cut you open right here?"

The voice was male, and surprisingly young, but the skill with which he wielded the knife was enough to warrant him a sufficient threat.

"Jay, no!"

Evie scrambled down behind him, and the knife pulled away a fraction of an inch.

"He's new," Evie continued. "I brought him to see Mal."

"Why?"

"So she can fix him."

"Fix?"

Here the person threatening him backed away, and Carlos gasped as his heart hammered wildly in his ears. He was finally able to see, and he took in a dirt cellar sparsely decorated with a few dark curtains, a few bare light bulbs dangling from the ceiling and illuminating the place. He stared up into the face of a tanned youth, black hair framing his face from beneath a red knit cap.

"Leroux and his crew," Evie said in explanation, as the boy took in his injured arm.

"So you saved him out of the goodness of your heart." The boy's tone was mocking, his mouth twisted into a smirk, and Evie scowled at him.

"It was my fault they caught him in the first place," she said, and there may have been something like sorrow or even guilt in her voice before it was replaced by a haughty sort of triumph. "I tripped him."

Jay laughed, a short clipped bark that made the smaller boy flinch to hear it. "Well, whose is he, anyway?"

He froze as the boy turned to him, and he tried to summon what little courage he had to return the curious stare. He drew a slow breath, tracing the syllables silently with his tongue before pushing them forward and adding sound.

"Cr-ruella," he said, wincing at the stutter, cursing himself for not being able to get it right.

"So you're the runt!" Jay exclaimed, but it wasn't quite as condescending as it had been coming from Leroux. "They said Cruella's kid couldn't talk, but I thought they meant at all!"

"Jay!" Evie hissed. "Don't be rude!"

"Nnnot a runt," he muttered, shooting the boy his own dark look.

"Carlos, right?" Jay asked, extending a hand and ignoring the reaction.

He nodded, accepting the hand warily and grimacing as the boy squeezed a little too hard.

"Well, I'm Jay. Son of Jafar." There was a cockiness about the way he said it, but also something else, though Carlos couldn't quite grasp what it could be. "And you've met Her Royal Highness," Jay continued, winking as he motioned to Evie. "So all that's left is…"

"Who are you?"

The voice was cold as it swept through the room, and silence fell as both Evie and Jay straightened from their casual poses. Carlos turned to see a girl, clad in purple and green leather, ominously stepping out from the shadows and giving him a death glare. Her eyes were a piercing green, almost as intense as the green in her jacket, and her hair was a dark purple that nearly perfectly matched her boots. She couldn't have been much older than he was; maybe nine or ten at the most. Despite her appearance, there was an air of danger and authority about her that made Carlos take a step back as she strode into the room.

"Well?" She snapped, and he opened his mouth and closed it a few times wordlessly, trying to make words work in his favor.

"He's Carlos," Evie jumped in, glancing at him with a worried look. "I know I shouldn't have brought him here but you were the only one I could think of to…."

Mal raised a hand, stopping Evie's flow of words. "I'm asking him."

"He can't talk." This one was from Jay, and though he stood with confidence there was hesitation in his eyes as he faced the girl, who was so much smaller than him that it would have been laughable if she weren't so terrifying.

Mal glanced over at him curiously, and he tried to make himself appear smaller and more pathetic than he already was. His arm had gone numb at this point, but he was more concerned now about how he was going to escape from this unscathed.

"That's new," Mal replied slowly, walking towards him. He backed away, but ran into the wall, dirt falling from above and into his hair.

"Are you afraid of me, Carlos?"

He swallowed, a soft shudder going through him at the way she dragged out his name. She smiled a little, chuckling darkly at his no doubt terrified expression.

"Good," she said. "You should be."

* * *

Carlos

As it turned out, Carlos hadn't entirely wrong in his fear of Mal, but looking back on it now, Carlos couldn't help but smile. Even then Mal had been a fearless leader, and once she'd finally accepted his presence in their group, she'd worked just as hard to protect him as she did Evie and Jay. Not so much herself, though. Mal would often throw herself headlong into any situation, and deal with the repercussions as they came. Which was often and typically violently delivered.

Carlos' lips twitch in amusement, but he didn't move from his position on the rooftop. How the tables had turned, he thinks. That now he's the one looking out for them. But someone had to stand guard, and he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep. Not after seeing all those dead frogs and fish in the jars in the lab; bringing back horrible memories of all those times he'd been forced to kill and cut up animals back on the Isle in attempts to make him toughen up.

And he especially wouldn't sleep in that plush, Auradon bed, so different from home; so right and yet, so wrong. The closest he'd ever gotten to a soft, warm bed had been when he was four and Cruella had thrown him into the tumbler with all her other furs during one of her fits. After being battered and bruised and nearly crushed, she'd simply left him there, and he'd burrowed down with all the other coats and cried himself to sleep.

Carlos grimaces, shaking his head in attempt to clear it of his thoughts and memories. He wasn't a little kid anymore, and he wasn't helpless. He rubs absently at the scars on his arms, still wondering what had driven him to show them to Ben. _Prince_ _Ben_ , he corrects himself quickly. The others might have let their guard down here, but he knew better. And he wasn't going to be helpless again.

* * *

Jay

"Aw, man," Jay groans happily as he rubs the last bit of water from his hair. "Working showers and these amazing beds; I think I'd like staying here a while. What do you think bro?"

He pauses when he doesn't receive a response, and sticks his head out the bathroom door. "Carlos?"

The room is quiet and empty, devoid of the clanking of metallic pieces from Carlos' latest project, and Jay quickly exits the bathroom, sliding on a pair of shorts as he jogs across the carpet. As he runs, he scans the room desperately for any sign of the other boy, though he knows instinctively that he isn't there. Then the open window catches his eye, and he huffs a sigh of equal parts relief and frustration as he realizes.

Climbing the ladder attached to the side of building took him straight to the roof, where a certain blond haired youth sat curled along the ledge. If it weren't for the hair, and the spotted sleeves sticking out from beneath his cloak, Jay wouldn't have even seen him he was so still.

"Carlos?" Jay calls softly as he approaches, careful to keep his voice low and even. Despite that, the other boy still flinches violently, his whole body tense as he whips around to glare at Jay.

Carlos makes a soft sound, but doesn't bother saying anything, instead resuming his position on the edge of the roof. Jay creeps the rest of the way over and hunches down next to Carlos, careful not to let any part of him dangle over the side or brush against the other boy, in case he went into another of his 'fits.'

"What'cha doing bro?" Jay asks, staring out over the dorms while also keeping an eye on the boy beside him.

Carlos shrugs a shoulder, both knees tucked close to his chest, but his hands were free, and fiddling with his dog tail.

"So you just decided to climb out onto the roof and sit on the edge for fun?" Jay probes, keeping his words light. "Not feeling suicidal, are you? I mean, I know this place is nuts, but…."

Carlos growls softly, and Jay looks over to see the boy's features arranged in a grimace, a sharp light of pain in his eyes. Jay winced, kicking himself for his insensitivity. There had been a very brief, but very dark period of Carlos' early years where Cruella's madness had tilted towards the suicidal, and several times had attempted to take Carlos with her. It wasn't something any of them liked to talk about, Carlos especially.

"Right," Jay mumbles, looking away. "Sorry, stupid of me."

"Y-yeah."

Jay glances back, but Carlos is definitely avoiding his eyes now, glaring out over the lawns. Jay sighs, cursing his insensitivity and trying to think of how to dig himself out of this hole.

"So," he tries again after the silence had gotten too thick for his tastes. "What are you doing out here Carlos?"

The other boy groans under his breath, but his hands move; his index and middle fingers extended and hovering just before his eyes, palm facing outward; then he gestures with his hands, hovering them around the general area, still at eye level.

[Looking around.]

Jay chuckles a bit, suddenly getting it. "Standing guard, you mean?" he teases, nudging Carlos' shoulder and ignoring the way the boy tenses at the contact. "You know we don't need to do that here, right? We're safe."

Carlos shakes his head, his eyes narrowed angrily as he signs; pointing first to Jay; then bringing a flat palm to the side of his head near his temple, he touches the tips of his fingers to his head before twisting his palm outward; then pointing again at Jay.

[You don't know that!]

"Woah, chill," Jay says, lifting his own hands in a surrender motion. "I just meant…well, no, I meant it. We don't need to watch out for anything."

Carlos shakes his head, signing again. [You don't know that.]

Jay sighs, leaning back from the edge a bit. He knew old habits didn't die, and he couldn't blame Carlos for this particular habit sticking. They were in a new place, after all. But Jay had hoped that maybe, at least, before the run in with Kropp and that asshole Chad, maybe things could be different for them here.

He shakes his head, knowing that he couldn't afford to think like that. There was no 'better.' The only reason they were here was as part of some twisted experiment. An attempt to ease the consciences of the guilty Auradonians and show the poor, suffering Isle children that life was better in a place where everybody randomly bursts into song every five minutes. No, there was nothing _better_ for them here; they just had to get the wand so they could take over and really make things different.

Carlos still hadn't moved, and Jay frowns as he notices the shadows under the boy's eyes.

"Hey," Jay whispers, edging back over. "Exactly how long have you been up here?"

Carlos shrugs again in response, and Jay scowls, frustrated at the worry and concern he can feel rising inside him. He knew Carlos wouldn't let this go, wouldn't give up his post for anything once he'd set it up, but Jay also knew that Mal would kill him if she found out he'd let the other boy stay out on the roof all night.

"Ok," Jay drawls, deciding. "How about this…we do it in shifts, ok? You've been out here the entire time I've been showering, so why don't you go in and get one while I stay look out."

Carlos hums shortly, and Jay glances over hopefully.

"Ok?" Jay tries again. "After that we can both stand watch, right?"

Carlos nods slowly in response, and Jay sighs quietly in relief. He stands quickly and extends a hand, but the other boy scrambles up by himself, still silent as he climbs back through the window and into the bedroom. Jay shakes his head, latching the glass firmly behind him before crossing to his side of the closet and grabbing a dark gold shirt with long sleeves.

"You're gonna love the shower dude," Jay brags to Carlos as he pulls the shirt over his head. "It's a bit confusing cuz it's got so many knobs, but I swear, it's like…"

The bathroom door slams shut firmly, cutting Jay off abruptly. He frowns, striding across the room to the door. He tries the handle but it's locked, and Jay raps on the wood.

"Carlos?" he calls through the door. "You ok?"

A heavy thud is all he gets in answer, and he backs away from the door as it jars in the frame; a sure sign of something heavy just having been thrown at it.

"Alright," Jay calls back. "I get when I'm not wanted."

"Bet Jaf-ar wwould disagree."

Jay stiffens at those muffled words, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "You want to come say that to my face, runt?" he growls back.

Absolute silence from the other side of the door, and Jay kicks the wood hard with his foot. "I'm serious, Carlos," he snaps. "Is there something we need to talk about?"

"You're sup-possed to be sta-standing guard," Carlos mutters from inside the bathroom, and Jay kicks the door again.

"Fuck that!" He snarls.

"Fu-fuck you," Carlos retorts, and though the words sound shakier than his usual stuttered responses, it's effective enough to thoroughly piss Jay off.

It doesn't occur to Jay that the insults and fierce arguments are entirely unlike the other boy's usual attitude; that Carlos had been unnervingly quiet since the lab. It doesn't occur to him to note the added shakiness of the boy's words, or recall the fact that retreating and shoving everyone away was one of the warning signs; the younger boy's attempt to hide himself away before he exploded. All that does occur to Jay is his anger, and he was too engrossed in it to notice much else.

"Dammit Carlos," Jay hisses threateningly. "Don't make me get Mal back in here; she _will_ go full dragon on your ass."

He kicks the door again just to emphasize his point. "I mean it…."

"So d-do I," Carlos calls back, but his voice is half drowned out by the sound of the water suddenly turning on.

Jay swears furiously at the door, and is about to start kicking it down when something clatters to the floor and a harsh gasp sounds from the other side. He presses himself to the wood, knocking instead of banging.

"Carlos?" he calls, suddenly much more subdued.

There's complete silence from the bathroom, the water still pounding ominously in the background.

"Shit," Jay hisses. "Carlos!"

There's an almost imperceptible splash, followed by a muffled whimper, and Jay feels his insides twist painfully.

"Fuck," he breathes, rapping on the door with urgency. "Carlos? I'm not mad, just…just open the door!"

Silenced whimpering was all that he heard in response, and Jay sucks in a sharp breath as his mind begins concocting every manner of horrible scenario. He knows instinctively, what is happening, what this is; but the knowledge does little to reassure him. Not when he's locked out and entirely unable to reach the other boy. And if _he_ started panicking, there'd be no way he could help Carlos. Jay tried to draw a steadying breath, but his nerves are shot and all he can manage is a sharp intake before he's pacing frantically in front of the bathroom door.

"Fuck," he chants breathlessly. "Shit fuck fuckity fucking _fuck_!"

He couldn't think, but the cursing helped at least, clearing enough of his frustration that he could try. He knew he couldn't get to Carlos, but he was in no position to talk the other boy out of his fear. That was Evie's job.

"Evie," Jay whispers, the idea lighting in his head. He turns back to the door and taps gently at the wood. "Hey Carlos," he murmurs quietly. "I'm going to get Mal and Evie, ok? I won't be gone long, I'm just bringing the girls here."

There's still no response, but Jay hadn't really expected one. He considers silence at least, to be a better answer than screaming.

Jay shudders, trying to suppress the memories and fears that threaten to resurface.

"Stay focused Jay," he mutters to himself as he crosses to the window. "Get Mal and Evie and get back for Carlos. That's the goal."

Jay inches out over the ledge he and Carlos had sat on and drops easily over the side, gripping the sill above him with his fingers while his toes find purchase in the brick beneath. He inches along the side of the building, counting the windows as he goes until he reaches the fourth window down from his and Carlos' bedroom. The window is dark, but that had never stopped him before and it doesn't deter him now.

Jay stretches himself down and carefully drops, grasping the window as he falls and lifting himself back up. He pauses to catch his breath and grin in appreciation of his own stunt before resuming his serious demeanor and rapping urgently against the window. Instantly a light flickers on inside, and Jay swings himself through the window the moment the latch clicks open.

He lands beside Evie's bed on the balls of his feet, the girls herself sitting up in the bed while Mal stands by the window, her hand still hovering on the latch.

"Where's Carlos?" Mal demands before Jay can fully draw a breath.

"Locked himself…in the bathroom," Jay pants, his words broken up as he catches his breath. "He's having…another…fit."

Evie jerks like someone had struck her, vaulting out of bed with a sharp cry while Mal's eyes flicker violently with green as she swears hoarsely.

"And you just left him there?" Mal growls, and Jay cringes back from her anger, retreating towards the window.

"Well I couldn't very well get to him, could I?" he tries to explain himself, but Mal is beyond reasoning with like this.

"Idiot!" Mal snarls, barely pausing to shove her feet into shoes before she pushes her way past Jay and lifts herself silently out of the window.

Jay turns to Evie, hoping for some kind of understanding, but the other girl doesn't even look at him as she pulls her cloak around her shoulders and follows after their leader. Jay huffs a sigh, shaking his head as he follows them both, closing the window firmly behind him.

* * *

Mal

Mal doesn't hesitate even for a second once she reaches the boys' dorm room. The minute her feet touch the carpet, she strides across the floor towards the bathroom, pulling a pin from her hair as she does so. Unlike Evie, who insisted on wearing all sorts of bows and ribbons and other disgustingly flowery stuff in her hair, Mal only allowed herself one small hair pin, and solely for practical purposes. Like picking locks.

She wasn't as fluent in lock picking as Jay or Carlos, but she'd done her fair share of breaking and entering back on the Isle. The bathroom door's lock didn't stand a chance, and clicks open with little manipulation from her. Despite what she wanted to do, Mal didn't burst through the door. Instead, she crouches down in front of the wood and knocks as softly as she can, which still sounds too loud to her ears; despite being partially drowned out by the sound of running water.

"Carlos," she calls quietly, but firmly through the door. "It's Mal; open the door."

There's nothing from inside the bathroom to indicate that the boy had heard her, but Mal is almost positive that she can hear crying beneath the rushing water. She stifles a curse and tries knocking again as Evie and Jay scramble through the window behind her.

"Is he ok?" Evie asks as soon as she's inside. "Should I…?"

"No," Mal cuts her off quickly, shaking her head. It was obvious enough that Carlos wasn't ok, but she knew that wasn't what the other girl had meant. "I got this."

And she did, even if this particular job typically went to Evie. Mal was good at being firm, though; talking Carlos down and not letting him dodge away or retreat like the other girl usually did. And Mal always wanted answers, whereas Evie let it slide and just focused on the comforting. But Mal could do this...and she would, if Carlos would just open the damn door.

"What happened?" Mal demands of Jay when she hears his footsteps behind her. "How did this one even start?"

Jay shuffles in a way that Mal thinks means he's shrugging, and his voice is baffled but defensive as he answers.

"Honestly, I don't know! It just came out of nowhere."

"Obviously not," Mal snaps back. "If it's this bad…if he's locked himself away."

Carlos' fits typically followed some kind of pattern, and there was always a trigger. The trick was in finding out what it was that had triggered him, but Carlos always tried to hide himself away before the actual event occurred; whether by becoming overly defensive and physically hiding, or by shoving everyone away from him. The worst ones were always the ones that he shoved people away for, and Mal could never get it through to him that they weren't going anywhere and that it only made it worse when he did that.

"The lab," Evie chimes in behind her. "The dead animals in the jars…could that have upset him so much it started this?"

"Could be," Mal mutters, but she knows that that's not really it. He wouldn't have locked himself away if it were just that.

"He was quiet after, though," Jay tries, correctly reading her tone. "Too quiet. And he was up on the roof for a good hour or so after you guys left."

"Doing what?" Evie says, incredulously, while Mal straightens by the door, turning her head to see Jay as he responds.

"Said he was just looking around," Jay answers. "Trying to be casual about it, but he was standing guard."

Evie grimaces in sympathetic understanding. "Old habits," she sighs, but Mal frowns.

"What did you do?" she asks Jay, and if it sounded more accusing than she intended, she didn't try and take it back.

"I didn't do anything," Jay protests hotly. "I just wanted him to come inside, maybe get a shower and relax. I told him I'd keep watch to try and make him feel better…he's the one who started hurling insults."

"What did he say?" Evie asks, raising a brow, and Jay grits his jaw angrily.

"He shut himself in the bathroom and then threw something at the door when I tried to talk to him," he says lowly. "I made a joke, said I knew when I wasn't wanted, and he said that my dad…that Jafar would disagree."

Evie stifles a scoff, and Jay glowers at her, silencing her amusement. "Anyway," the taller boy continues. "It went downhill from there. I got mad, he got mad, I said I'd get Mal to kick his ass if he didn't quit being a jerk…I don't know, but then I realized what was happening. Too late at that point."

Jay winces as he finishes, dropping his gaze to floor, but it lifts back up when Mal stands from her spot by the door.

"So he'd been showing signs all night, but he _hurt your feelings_ and so you get angry and don't even bother to notice until he was too far gone?" Mal is so furious she can barely get the words out, but her point gets across and Evie pales while Jay's hands clench at his sides.

"M," Evie says slowly. "You know it's not like that."

"But it's clearly like something though, isn't it Jay?" Mal snarls. "Or else it wouldn't have reached this point and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

She turns away from him before she does something she might not regret later, and instead focuses on calming herself down. She couldn't afford to wait on Carlos now. It was apparent that this was going to be one of the bad ones, and she wouldn't risk worsening it by carrying her anger in with her. Mal draws a slow breath and then taps on the door again, keeping her voice even but calm.

"Carlos, I'm coming in, alright? It's just me, but I need you to scoot away from the door, ok?"

There's still no answer, but Mal turns the knob and carefully pushes the door open. It only opens about a quarter of the way before it's stopped by something, and Mal sighs softly, turning her body and pressing herself against the door frame. She squeezes her way in before closing the door again behind her, sliding slowly down the wall and facing Carlos, who was curled up just inside the door.

"Carlos?" Mal says quietly, and the smaller boy shivers, trying to tuck himself into an even smaller ball and whimpering softly.

The shower is running into the tub beside her, steam and heat filling the small space so it was almost impossible to breathe. Carlos' pants and jacket were hung over a rack that was clearly meant for towels, but his shorts and spotted red shirt are soaking wet and plastered to his body, his hair clinging in damp strands to his face, and Mal stifles a curse as she realizes what must have happened. She leans over and shuts off the shower faucet, drawing an easier breath that wasn't so filled with steam.

"I'm not mad at you Carlos," Mal says as she leans back against the wall. "But I need you to look at me. Can you do that?"

He doesn't respond, not even with a whimper, and Mal grits her jaw. The Evie approach wasn't working: time to go full Mal. She straightens from her casual pose against the wall and draws a steadying breath, her voice firm and brokering no arguments as she speaks.

"Damn it Carlos, look at me."

She doesn't yell, but her request is absolute, and Carlos flinches in his little ball, a sharp gasp slipping past his lips as he snaps his head up to look at her. His eyes are wide and wet with tears, but they're clear enough that Mal can tell he's focusing on her.

"Ssorry," he whispers, and his voice is high and thick from crying.

"It's fine," Mal says quickly, dismissing the apology. "I just needed you to look at me."

Carlos whimpers this time, tightening his body once again and ducking his head like he's waiting for her to start hitting him. Mal grimaces, knowing that exact thing would have happened if they'd been back on the Isle, and she had been someone else. She shoves all that aside, though, forcing herself to stay focused on Carlos, who was rocking and whimpering pleas and apologies; promises to not do it again; to be good. It always makes her sick, seeing him like this, but she wasn't about to make this worse by giving in to her own feelings.

"Hey," she says firmly. "Eyes on me."

He obeys, lifting his head, but he's gasping again, his whole body shuddering as he fights to catch his breath. His eyes widen and Mal can practically feel his pain as he starts crying again.

"Breathe," Mal commands him, resisting the sudden and uncharacteristic urge to rush forward and physically comfort him. "Eyes on me, Carlos. Breathe."

He shakes his head, blinking hard as he trembles. His next breath is sharp and desperate, his response a helpless rasp of air.

"Ca-can't."

"You can," Mal insists quietly, her own voice level despite the slight tremor of her hands. "Just like I am, slow and steady."

"Aaair," Carlos hisses, rocking harder as though that would help.

"There's plenty of air," Mal responds evenly. "Just breathe, Carlos. Like I am."

She draws another slow breath to demonstrate, and the boy tries, his whole body heaving with the effort.

"Good," Mal praises lowly, her voice still firm and even. "Do it again, slower."

The smaller boy shivers again, and Mal eyes the water collecting around him. She'd have to hurry this up. He was definitely going to get sick if he sat soaking wet like this for much longer. Not that she really cared...but it would be nice to avoid any more suspicion thrown their way, and Carlos suddenly falling ill would certainly do that.

Mal's eyes snap back to the boy in question as he whimpers again and once more tries to curl up again.

"No you don't," Mal scolds him, nudging him carefully with her foot. "Eyes on me, remember?"

When his eyes meet hers this time, they're narrowed, a flicker of something hard flashing through them. Mal allows the satisfied smile to show on her face, and is rewarded when Carlos sits up further, the annoyance growing in his eyes even if his body was still fighting for air.

"Breathe," Mal reminds him, and he shivers slightly, but does as he's told, the air coming a bit easier now that the majority of the steam had cleared.

"Ssorry," he whispers again, drawing another breath that was more like a gasp. "Sssorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," Mal says, shaking her head. "I'm not mad at you."

Carlos' trembling eases a bit at that, his eyes clearing a little more as he catches his breath. Mal lets him breathe for a few more moments before deciding she could move. Slowly so she didn't set him off again, she reaches up and grabs one of the towels she'd seen hanging on a rack earlier, unfolding it slowly and draping it over her lap. Carlos had been watching her every move, but when he saw where she'd put the towel he frowns, and his eyes peer up at her suspiciously.

"Cold in here," Mal says easily in explanation, and Carlos shivers again, blinking as though he'd just realized that he was wet.

"Mal?" He says, and his voice is still a little hoarse, but it's his own, full of confusion as he stares at her.

"No," Mal responds flatly. "I'm the Fairy Godmother."

But inside, she's practically giddy with relief that he'd recognized her and was starting to come out of it. Carlos frowns even harder at her deadpan, and starts to shift his weight before wincing in pain that he fails to hide in his vulnerable state.

"Careful," Mal warns belatedly. "You've been curled up in one position for a while."

"Wh-what?" He tries to say, but then he takes in the rest of the bathroom and seems to realize. "Oh," he whispers, tucking his chin to his chest.

"You want this towel?" Mal asks, to distract him from his embarrassment and hopefully nudge him in the right direction. He glances up at her long enough to spot the thick green towel in her arms and nods, reaching for it blindly as he ducks hid head again.

"What is it then?" Mal asks, lifting her hand out of reach.

He peers up at her, eyes blinking slowly as he stares at the towel. He doesn't verbally respond, but his hands move; his palms up and fingers spread slightly, he shrugs his shoulders and furrows his brow at her.

[What?]

"The thing that's bothering you," Mal says, forgiving the sign language. She'd let him talk like that for now, but she wanted answers, and she would get them from him.

Carlos shakes his head, his hands forming 'O' shapes as he hold them near his shoulders.

[Nothing.]

"Of course," Mal says sharply, scowling. "And nothing is what drove you to another fit."

Carlos flinches at that, but he's still frowning, his hands moving faster now as he came out of his shell; his left hand raised and fingers pressed together like he was holding something; then he snaps open his hand and lowers it slightly before pointing towards her; his index finger just off from indicating her directly. He continues, bringing both hands up again near his torso; fingers spread and palms facing him, he moves his hands back and forth with a slightly scrunched expression on his face, frowning sharply as he shakes his head at her.

[Drop it. It doesn't matter.]

"But clearly it matters to you," Mal counters relentlessly. "So it matters to all of us."

Carlos bares his teeth in a silent snarl, but Mal wasn't about to be intimidated by the show of false bravado. She grits her jaw against his attack and straightens further against the wall. "I'm still waiting," Mal says, and Carlos' hands reach to fiddle with his dog tail, before his fingers close on empty air and he blinks, looking up at his out-of-reach pants and the red dog tail attached to the belt.

"Carlos," Mal prods.

The boy grimaces, shaking his head and bringing up a hand in a loose fist shape, brushing his thumb along the underside of his chin.

[Don't.]

"Don't what, Carlos?" Mal replies. "Care? Because I think it's been well established at this point that I have to care about what happens to you, despite better judgement saying otherwise."

Carlos doesn't look at her, but his hands continue moving; shaking an index finger back and forth before bringing a hand up to his cheek in a loose fist shape; four fingers folded down with his thumb pressed just underneath: a modified version of the sign for 'apple,' combined with the sign for the letter 'E.'

[Where's Evie?]

"In the other room with Jay," Mal answers. "And I'm going to pretend I'm not offended by that question, and wait for you to answer mine."

"It doesn't ma-ma-matter," Carlos snaps shakily, rocking again as he became agitated.

Mal tosses him the towel to distract him again, and he glowers at her, but accepts it, wrapping it around himself and almost disappearing underneath the cotton material. "What doesn't matter?" Mal asks.

"Th-this," Carlos retorts, rubbing his face roughly and muffling his words. "This…it does-doesn't ma-tter! We're only he-here to get the wwwand, so nothing that happ-ens here matters, so wh-why should I g...et upset o-o-over it?!"

Mal falters, cut off guard by his vehemence, and she finds herself dropping her stern attitude and leaning forward, a genuine… _sympathy_ filling her.

"Carlos," she begins, but the boy shakes his head hard and stands abruptly.

He wobbles on his feet a moment, but then he rushes for the door, barely pausing for breath as he tugs the door open and stumbles out into the room beyond. Mal hears Evie's voice calling the boy's name, and Jay says something as well, but there's nothing from Carlos except for a frantic scrambling sound. Mal sighs to herself on the bathroom floor, thinking over his words as something slams in the other room and Jay and Evie start talking again, their voices lifting in pleading tones.

'Nothing that happens here matters…' is that really what he thought? Well, obviously it was, but to think that they didn't care, no. That _she_ didn't care. That's what that had been; his accusation at her for pushing. Not just pushing for the wand, for recognition and approval, but pushing despite the fact that such things had just been brutally crushed for him by a figure that should have been -if not trustworthy, since no one was truly trustworthy in her experiences- at least encouraging of such ideas.

"Damn," Mal mutters to herself, her eyes flitting around the bathroom and once more taking in the signs of the damage. The water could be mopped up, but the fear was still there, lingering in every muted drip into the tub, fear that she had helped to place there.

It took Mal a moment to realize what it was that was squeezing her insides, as the feeling was something almost entirely foreign to her. But there was no mistaking the churning in her gut as she stared at the signs of the damage she'd helped cause…guilt.


	8. I'm not ok (I promise)

**3…2…1…Happy New Year! *cue confetti cannons and other noisy, celebratory explosions***

 **I hope you all had a safe and Happy New Year's celebration with your friends and family. Hopefully this chapter will be worth that grueling, year long wait. ;)**

 **Ok, I'll stop with the jokes and get on to the reviews!**

 **Rowan: I'm glad I made you so excited over the update! Hopefully you're just as excited about this one. :)**

 **Tiredandlazy: Heck yes, I enjoy your reviews, lol! They're so random (in a good way) but still entirely sincere and full of comments on the chapter/story/my writing, and they're thoroughly amusing to read. And I didn't mind the shortness, it still made my day to have a new review from you. Hopefully you found Aziz, but I'll drop more descriptions of him in future chapters, so it should make it easier to search for him. It's fun to imagine all the VKs as tiny, though Carlos and Jay are my favorites to imagine tiny. Especially tiny family Vks, haha! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: Thank you for the review! I'm glad I was able to make you feel for the characters. :)**

 **Guest: Poor Carlos, indeed! I can't imagine it was easy for any of the VKs growing up, but Carlos especially. And don't worry, he's still in the room somewhere, and Mal and Evie will definitely take care of him! (An aside, if you wouldn't mind creating a name for yourself, I'd really appreciate it! I just like to address my guests as something a little more personal than just Guest. It feels more polite to me ;))**

 **Ellie: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much! Characters are really important to me, so it's good to know you like how I'm portraying everyone.**

 **IWantColoredRain: Do you have a preference for what color rain you'd like? ;) lol, but thank you for the review and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my story!**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like this story so much! Cruella certainly did a lot, but I thought it would fit better if I also showed how other VKs on the Isle reacted to him and the rest of the group and give some backstory there. And it's alright; his name is Aziz, and we will be seeing more of him in the future, don't worry!**

 **Nik137nvty: Aw, thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad this story had got you so worked up, in a good way, of course. Hopefully you've managed to not explode, at least long enough to read and enjoy this next chapter! :)**

 **theNiceDevil: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and especially glad you like how I've written the characters. Hopefully you'll continue to enjoy this story.**

 **Kris68: Thank you so much for your review and your kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and that you like my characterizations. I definitely feel like Disney sugar coats a lot, so I wanted to dig into things as much as I could. More of that will be coming soon. :) I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

* * *

 **Ok, Author's Notes! This chapter contains crude language (sorry, they are villains after all) as well as mentions of underage drinking. (Again, villains.) This chapter also contains more sign language, though not as much as usual, sorry!**

 ****Warnings as this chapter also contains mentions of child abuse, though nothing too explicit. More w** **arnings for angst! You get some angst, and you get some angst; everybody gets angst! And aside from the angst, there are also references to panic attacks; relatively mild, but still there, so be warned!****

 **Also more flashbacks for you guys, (remember, flashback POVs are in _Italics_ ) and multiple POV shifts, including a character we haven't heard from in a bit. :)**

 *****Note there's a bit of a Poll/Q &A at the end of this chapter, so pay attention to that!*****

 **Alright, I'll let you all go and enjoy the chapter! I look forward to hearing what you all think!**

* * *

 _Evie_

"You're late, Evelyn."

The voice was cold and entirely unforgiving as the girl stumbled through the door. She froze just in the entrance, quickly arranging her features into a mask similar to the woman's; revealing nothing as she folded her hands demurely in front of her.

"I'm sorry Mother," the girl said meekly, though inside she was screaming the words, her hands trembling minutely. Full name was never a good sign. "I didn't realize how late it was, and I was delayed…Maleficent…."

"Do not make excuses," the woman snapped, and the girl flinched. "A _true_ Princess takes responsibility for her actions."

"Yes Mother," the girl whispered hoarsely, forcing herself to remain upright as the woman rose from her place in the shadows and approached her.

The Evil Queen was fierce in her anger, and though there were no obvious twists of her expression, her fury was there in the cast of her eyes; the slight twitch of a brow, the curl of a lip. Evie fought to keep her mask in place as thoughts of poisoned apples and dungeons leapt through her mind, thinking bitterly that surely the only reason Snow White had managed to stay so cheerful through her story was because she had never had to face Grimmhilde in all her glory.

Her thoughts were broken by a sharp snap, and Evie flinched again, her body reacting out of instinct and jerking sharply backwards. But there was no pain, and when Evie dared to bring her head up she realized that it had only been her Mother's fingers snapping, and not a blow. Although the look in the woman's eyes did promise violence, and Evie shivered, shrinking under the force of the woman's gaze.

"Stand up straight," Grimmhilde said sharply, her hands darting out and gripping Evie's shoulders firmly. "A true Princess doesn't slouch, and certainly doesn't _cower_."

"Yes Mother," Evie murmured, the words barely making it past her suddenly tightening throat.

"Head high, Evelyn," the former Queen intoned, her fingers finding the girl's jaw. " _Smile_ ," she hissed.

"Yes Mother," Evie recited dutifully, swallowing the stone in her throat and easily slipping a smile onto the mask that was her face.

"Honestly, you are royalty," the woman said, her brow twitching again, her lip curling just a little higher. "Act. Like. It."

The girl nodded this time, not trusting herself to speak. Her voice would crack if she tried, she knew it. Her mother's hands hadn't left her yet, adjusting her hair now, her eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

"Is this dirt in your hair?" the woman asked, her voice pitched minutely higher. It was her incredulous tone, but also another warning.

"It-it must have been from when I was with Mal," Evie guessed, though she made sure to keep her tone contrite and apologetic.

"Maleficent," her Mother said, and though her voice was still hard, a grudging sort of respect had crept into her tone. "Now there's a woman who knows how to carry herself. I don't think I can say the same for her daughter, though. Too…wild."

The daughter of a Fae was too wild. The thought amused Evie, and a soft chuckle slipped past her lips. Quickly she clamped down on the sound and turned it into a quiet cough, but her Mother hadn't noticed.

"Now then," the woman, said, stepping back to peer at her handiwork. "What have I forgotten?"

"Mother please," Evie said, a reluctant plea in the young girl's voice as she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "I look fine."

 _ **Crack**_. The blow came then, a harsh slap that made the girl's ears ring and lights flash behind her eyes. She cringed back with a cry and received another slap for her show of weakness.

"You don't look fine!" Her Mother shouted above her. "Fine is for the tramps on the corner! Unless that's what you'd prefer?"

"Please," Evie whimpered, attempting to retreat and receiving yet another slap.

"Oh, but you look _fine_ ," her Mother hissed, her voice just as poisonous as her apples. "As fine as any slut on this forsaken rock!"

"Forgive me," Evie begged, trying to straighten so she didn't appear as worthless as she was. "I didn't mean…"

"Be silent," her Mother commanded. "Princesses don't beg."

Evie bowed her head, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying, but a tear slid down her face regardless.

"And now you've ruined your makeup!" Her Mother's voice was a wail of disappointment and fury. "What am I going to do with you, Evelyn?"

"I'm sorry," Evie shook her head, blindly stumbling back towards the door.

"Evelyn?" Her Mother demanded, and Evie reached behind her without seeing.

"Evelyn!" Her Mother yelled shrilly, her voice hard again. "Don't you dare run from me!"

But Evie was already gone, bolting down the street and away from the house, tears streaking across her face and blurring her already hazy vision. She tripped, but picked herself up before she could hit the pavement, stumbling down a side street and gasping hard to avoid sobbing. Her feet took her with no conscious thought from her except 'away,' and so she was entirely unprepared for the voice when it came.

"Hey…what's up Beauty Queen?"

She jumped, slamming back into a tapestry covered brick wall, a harsh gasp slipping past her lips. A dull laugh sounded from the dark before her, and the voice spoke again, soft and slightly slurred.

"I guess nothing entirely bad if it drove you to me."

"Jay?" Evie whispered, suddenly recognizing his voice.

"No," he murmured. "Some other devilishly handsome street rat."

She squinted through the dark and was finally able to make him out, propped up against another tapestry in the far corner. His head lay back against the wall behind him, but he had twisted the rest of his body so that instead of facing the door, he was facing the opposite wall.

"Come on in," Jay mumbled, his voice thick. "I don't have much to offer except some stale wine, but it still does its job pretty good."

"Well," Evie said, out of habit.

"Huh?"

"Does its job pretty well," Evie corrected, wiping her face with her sleeve before walking further into the room.

Jay scoffed, but the sound broke off hallway and turned into a choked groan. Evie moved a little faster, starting to reach out to him, but he stiffened, drawing away from her and holding out his hand.

"Don't," he growled, and it would have been threatening if she couldn't see the way his hand shook.

"Are you ok?"

"Oh I am fan-fucking-tastic," Jay rasped, grinning at her broadly.

Evie nodded skeptically, sitting down slowly against the wall adjacent to him. She peered closely at her…ally? They'd known each other long enough to be something by now…Whatever he was...she saw that despite his smile, his eyes were tight, and his lips stiff in what was definitely more a grimace than anything amusing.

"Let me see," she demanded, and Jay glowered at her, flipping her off rather easily for someone who was in so much pain.

"Jay," Evie snapped, and the boy raised an eyebrow at her.

"For a second I thought the Evil Queen was here, but then I figured she wouldn't humiliate herself by stepping into this sty, with such a lowly mortal as myself."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not her," Evie said, ignoring his mockery. "Let me _see_."

"Why don't you worry about your own bruises?" Jay snapped harshly.

"Because we both know that yours is more than just bruises," Evie countered firmly.

"Piss off," Jay snarled, but his eyes had flickered, and she knew she was right.

"No."

"Why not?" the boy said, but it sounded more like a whine as he closed his eyes again and leaned back against the wall.

"Because you're my…" Evie faltered, and Jay opened an eye, peering at her stoically.

"Go on," the other boy pressed, but something about his tone seemed almost hopeful, instead of mocking like he usually was.

"Friend," Evie decided with a nod, and both of Jay's eyes opened and fixed on her.

"Damn," the boy said lowly. "Friends with royalty."

Evie's eyes narrowed at him, but he continued, smiling a bit more now despite the pain he was in.

"What sort of 'friend' are we talking here, though?" he said. "Like, am I just a friend who's a stepping stone, or is this like a 'friends with benefits' deal?"

"You have the benefit of remaining alive," Evie retorted. "And not dying a slow and painful death."

"Death by apple," Jay chuckled, but then he winced, his smile twisting in a grimace. "Ow," he murmured, shifting away from the wall.

"Bad score?" Evie guessed, but Jay shook his head, still grimacing.

"Nah," he hissed. "Interrupted a business deal... _really_ missed the warning signs on that one. Though to be fair, they were speaking in Arabic, so…"

"Isn't that supposed to be your native tongue?" Evie questioned with a raised brow.

"Yeah, well, I've never had to use it for much," Jay protested. "And Dad only uses it around me when he's angry, so all I'm really fluent in are swear words."

"As if regular swears weren't enough for you," Evie said with a dramatic sigh, and she was rewarded when Jay laughed again, his expression lifting.

"I do like my curse words," the boy joked.

"I know," Evie rolled her eyes at him.

"And I thought you liked singing at the parlor," Jay said softly, suddenly serious. "But you came running out of there fast enough, so I take it things didn't go too good for you either."

Evie stiffened, but covered it up quickly with a laugh, reaching over and prying the bottle from Jay's hands.

"Ok," she said with another forced laugh. "I know by now that when Jay gets all dark and brooding, it's time to confiscate the alcohol."

"Not brooding," Jay mumbled in protest, but he let the bottle go easily enough. "Dark, maybe. But the brooding is more Mal's thing."

"Cheers to that," Evie agreed, smile still intact as sat back again.

"But why did you run?" Jay insisted. "Won't that just make her madder?"

"Angrier," Evie sighed. "And why do you care?"

"Friends…?" Jay dragged out the word as though it were another language. "Isn't that part of it? Caring, or whatever?"

"Unfortunately," Evie agreed, though she wouldn't lie and say it was all bad. "She'll forget about it eventually."

"You're talking about the woman who tried to carve out her step-daughter's heart because she was prettier than her," Jay scoffed. "And she held that grudge how long?"

"Then you're currently conversing with a corpse," Evie responded solemnly. "And therefore, hallucinating."

Jay chuckled. "Well you're certainly the best looking corpse I've ever talked to."

Evie felt heat rising in her cheeks, and it had nothing to do with the forming bruises. "I'm really not, though," she said quickly, shaking her head. "If I were, I wouldn't be worried about being one, and I definitely wouldn't be talking with you."

"To being an above average looking corpse, then," Jay amended easily, raising his hand in a mock toast.

"Above average," Evie cheered quietly, and she lifted the stale wine to her lips and tried to ignore the feeling that it was her last meal.

* * *

Jay

The second the bathroom door slams open, Jay is on his feet, but even he's not fast enough to catch Carlos as the boy comes sprinting out, making a mad dive for the fireplace.

"Carlos!" Evie cries from the bed beside him, but Carlos is silent, only the slightest shuffling noises echoing from inside the space.

"Come on, bro," Jay finds himself saying, pleading, almost. "I wasn't trying to be a jerk, you know that."

Something flies out of the fireplace and hits Jay solidly in the legs, stinging and yet strangely freezing all at once. Jay kicks his legs free of the projectile, making to move closer when Mal's voice calls out from behind him.

"Did he just throw his _pants_ at you?"

Jay looks again and realizes that, oh yeah, those are Carlos' shorts. Evie makes a scandalized sound beside him as a second, soaking wet projectile is flung from the fireplace, this one aimed at Mal, but falling short by half a foot.

"That's great, Carlos," Mal calls to the fireplace in an unamused deadpan. "Now you're soaking wet _and_ naked."

"No," Jay says, shaking his head. "I caught him shoving some clothes in there earlier with the rest of his toolkit; he's fine."

"Still wet, though," Evie murmurs, and Jay feels a strange urge rising in his chest.

"That's what she…" he begins, but cuts himself off before he can finish, coughing pointedly as Mal storms past him.

"Carlos," the purple clad girl snaps, crouching down in front of the stone fixture. "We are going to talk about this, so there's no point in hiding!"

"No point in ta-ta-talking, e-ither," the boy retorts, and though his voice is slightly muffled from the fireplace, there's no mistaking the fierce sharpness of his tone.

"At least now he's mad at both of us," Jay mutters lightly to Mal. "So, way to even the field."

"Don't fuck with me right now, Jay," Mal growls, and Jay frowns, backing away from her.

"You know I didn't do this on purpose, right?" he says.

"Purpose or not, you did still do this," she replies tersely. "So shut up for a minute."

"Hey, it wasn't _my_ idea to come here," Jay can't help but retort, his own anger growing in light of hers. "And I'm not the one pushing for things."

"You did your fair share of pushing out on that field," Mal counters harshly. "As I recall, you sent three Princes to the infirmary."

"Yeah," Jay agrees hotly. "I was protecting Carlos."

"Fucking bullshit," the other girl snaps back, standing to face him head on. "All you were doing was fucking off and playing dominant."

"Oh and what were _you_ doing then, Mal?" Jay accuses right back. "What are you doing now?"

Mal's eyes light with green, a snarl rising to her lips as she stalks towards him. Jay straightens and prepares to meet her attack, bracing himself for a fight.

"Go on then, Jay," Mal growls lowly, her own hands in fists at her sides. "You really want to poke the dragon? I dare you."

"Both of you _shut up_."

Evie's voice is cold and stern, jarring them out of their confrontation. "What happened to doing this thing together?" the girl continues sharply.

"Well clearly, Mal's not one for teamwork right now," Jay counters, frowning back at Evie. "But I never said I wouldn't..."

"You piece of shit!" Mal hisses. "You haven't been working for this team a second since we got here! All you've done is think for yourself!"

"Like hell I have," Jay snaps right back. "What have you done besides ordering us around, which is all you ever seem to do?"

"Is this about that thing with Fairy Godmother?" Mal demands, crossing her arms. "I made that decision because was obvious that some of us were hurt and..."

"And we couldn't have that, could we?" Jay retorts mockingly. "The fearless leader can't have weak followers, can't have anyone dragging them down."

"Is that really what you think?" Mal argues, something hard coming up in her eyes that Jay doesn't have time to interpret in his own anger.

"No, it's what _you_ think," Jay answers. "And that's the only reason you're here, the only reason you're doing this thing with Carlos. You don't really care one way or another, you just want to make sure nothing gets in your way of that damned wand!"

"Jay!" Evie gasps by the fireplace, both shock and anger in her cry.

"Get out," Mal growls at him. "Before I do something I know I won't regret."

"It's my room," Jay counters smugly. "So technically, I should be kicking you out."

"Jay," Evie chimes in again, and her voice is once more hard, and when Jay turns his head he can see that her face is set in her 'Evil Regal' expression. "Leave. Please," she adds carefully, but Jay finds that he doesn't quite have words to respond.

"You…you're actually…kicking me out?" He finally manages, incredulous.

"You're only making things worse," Evie murmurs quietly, and she at least manages to look somewhat apologetic.

No such thing with Mal. The girl's eyes are hard and full of cold fury. "Unless you can stay and actually help with Carlos," she shoots at him through gritted teeth. "But I'd really rather you leave."

"That's fine," Jay snaps hastily, throwing up his hands and pretending that there wasn't a vise squeezing his insides. "Like I said, I know when I'm not wanted."

He crosses back to the window and lifts the latch, balancing in the frame. He flips Mal off with a mocking salute, then slips out onto the roof, locking the window again behind him before jogging towards the building's edge. He's almost grateful to the Auradon residents for confiscating their weapons; he's certain that if Mal had had her knife in that moment, she'd have thrown it at him. And she would not have missed.

* * *

Carlos

Carlos wasn't entirely sure when the screaming stopped, but when he finally uncurled himself from his position in the fireplace, the room beyond was silent, and nothing _sounded_ like it was breaking...Jay must have left then. He frowns, shifting his weight and debating whether he really wanted to go out. He runs the towel through his hair again, feeling the droplets of water slide down his face. He shivers, wishing he'd thought to put a long sleeved shirt inside his hiding space instead of a short sleeved one. He also really wishes he wasn't so mentally worthless and fucked up; as if the stuttering wasn't enough...no, he had to be a freaking spaz, too.

'Useless,' he thinks to himself, reaching for his kit. 'Freaking useless.'

His mother had always thought so, said so, on numerous occasions. He was barely competent enough to do his chores without screwing up, but even then there'd always been something not quite right.

'Just like me,' he thinks wryly, twisting a gear.

And now with everything happening in Auradon, first with biology, and then the fight, the last thing they needed was for him to start panicking again. Carlos fiddles with the box in his hands, ignoring the way his fingers tremble. They had something important to do and here he was ruining it all before it started. Why had he been picked? Ben had chosen four, and he could have chosen any four...but why Carlos de Vil? He wasn't good for anything, not even villainy, really.

And Mal...somehow she expected him to play a part in the plan, but what part? How could she expect anything of him? But maybe that was it...maybe Jay was right. She didn't expect anything of him, he was just the cover. The face of 'normal' compared to all of them. He was just there to be there, and he couldn't even get that right! That's what that had been...why she had been there for his latest attack. Trying to see if he was still stable enough for his job of just being there.

'Hate to break it to you Mal,' he murmurs inwardly. 'But I ruin everything I touch. I was ruining things even before I was born.'

But that was going too far. He couldn't think about...no, and it hadn't really been his fault...He hadn't known, he didn't _mean_...

Carlos blinks hard, drawing a sharp breath that didn't seem to end. He glances back down at his project and tries to fit the second gear into it. The metal snaps and jolts sideways, pinching his fingers sharply. He drops the project and begins to bang his head against the wall behind him in a rhythm, gritting his teeth against what he can feel is a scream.

"I'm fine," he whispers to himself. "I-I'm ook. I'm ok. I'm f-f-f..."

 _Evie_ , his brain interjects. He wants Evie. He winces, banging his head against the wall again and trying to ignore the buzzing in his ears. He doesn't need Evie. He can take care of himself. It's only as he wraps the towel further around his body that he realizes he isn't breathing. He gasps soundlessly, burying his head between his knees and trying to remember how his lungs worked.

 _'Useless.'_

 _'Pathetic.'_

 _'Freak.'_

 _'Worthless.'_

 _'Runt.'_

 _'Screw up.'_

"I'm fine," Carlos begins to chant once more, his fingers trembling as he clutches the towel. "I'm…"

 _Not fine_ , his brain screams at him. _Not fine not fine notnotnotnotnot!_

Carlos groans against the voices, but his malfunctioning lungs won't let the sound escape, instead echoing as a heavy vibration in his skull. He can feel his face twisting, can tell from sick fluttering in his stomach that his body wants to run, but he's trapped…trapped and there's no…no air, no way out!

There is a way out, he tries to reason. There's an opening right there right there right there look! But he can't turn his head, can't move a muscle against the fear that grips him, far tighter than any grip his mother had ever held on him. The thought of his mother stabs a hot knife through his stomach, and he's just about to release that scream in his chest when a voice murmurs from somewhere beyond his walls.

* * *

Evie

"That went well," Evie says stiffly, watching out the window as Jay drops off the dorm roof and disappears.

"Fucking asshole," Mal snarls, and Evie turns back to see her pacing with all the grace and danger of an enraged dragon. "Who the _fuck_ does he think he is with this?"

All that's missing is the flames, Evie thinks. She shakes her head, pressing her lips together and trying to decide how best to breach this.

"Is he right, though?" Evie finally asks, and she prides herself on her level tone. Mal turns on her, eyes blazing with green.

"What?" the other girl's voice is a low and hard growl, and Evie rolls her eyes, placing a hand on her hip.

"Honestly Mal, you really are overdramatic sometimes," she sighs, refusing to be affected by the display.

"How…?" Mal begins, but Evie shakes her head sharply, cutting her off.

"This thing with Carlos," she insists sternly. "What is it really? Is Jay right?"

She's trying to be tactful, she really is, but Mal glowers at her, her lip curling.

"You think I don't care?"

"I think," Evie says slowly, then starts over. "I know you, Mal. And I know you're worried, but..."

"Fuck yeah, I'm worried!" Mal snaps, pacing again. "You think I'm not? That I don't care? This was supposed to be simple, a way to make things work for us...for _once_ in our fucked up, miserable lives. This place was supposed to be _better_!"

Evie pauses at that, caught off guard. Mal draws a breath that shakes a bit, the green fire in her eyes flickering as she frowns at the floor.

"I...I wanted it to be better," the girl admits quietly, and Evie feels a pang in her chest, a pricking behind her eyes at the sudden vulnerability.

"For Carlos?" Evie manages to whisper out, attempting to return to her original intentions.

"For all of us," Mal says firmly, her eyes lifting and locking on Evie's.

Evie feels her breath catch, and covers it up with a slight cough. She raises a brow and tries for a teasingly skeptical look. "All of us?"

Mal scoffs, rolling her eyes as some of her remaining anger melts away. "Yes, even Jay, the bastard."

Evie smiles a little, a hint of relief flowing through her. She starts to move forward but something in Mal's body is still tense, and the other shifts away subconsciously at Evie's approach.

"I didn't want to say it," Mal says. "Didn't want to hope for it because things like that..." She shakes her head, grimacing. "Forget it," she says abruptly. "It doesn't matter."

Evie draws a breath to interject, but Mal flinches suddenly, her head snapping up sharply.

"Shit," she hisses, her eyes widening. "Fuck!"

"What?" Evie questions, but Mal is shaking her head slowly, turning to glance towards the fireplace.

"Fucking shit," Mal mutters, and Evie exhales impatiently.

"What, Mal?" She demands, and the other girl finally turns back, her expression still a bit stunned.

"That's what Carlos said," Mal says slowly. "He was upset about all of this...everything that's been happening, but he was angry at me especially because he thought that...I thought it didn't matter because of the wand."

Evie draws a sharp breath of realization, and Mal grimaces. "Yeah," Mal mutters.

"But you don't," Evie protests. "I mean, you do care…in your own way."

"And I've said that," Mal says, her voice raising slightly.

"But I think you need to show it," Evie presses gently.

Mal scoffs, and she's pacing again, but slower this time. "I haven't shown it enough?"

"You know that's not what I meant, M," Evie replies with a soft sigh.

"And _you_ know I don't do all of that...feely stuff," Mal retorts. "You know that, E."

"I know," Evie agrees quietly. "But _they_ need to know -Jay and Carlos- they need you to show them somehow that you care."

"I was _terrified_ in that bathroom with Carlos," Mal snaps. "Not because of his panic attack, but because I didn't know how to handle getting emotional like that, and I didn't want to make it worse with my pathetic attempt at comfort."

"You're not pathetic at comforting Mal," Evie tries to defend, but Mal snorts and shoots her a pointed look.

"That right there is exactly what I mean," Mal says. "Being sympathetic and having feelings is your department. I show that I care by doing what I do best: keeping us all alive."

* * *

Mal

It takes Evie the better part of an hour to finally convince Carlos to leave the fireplace. While the other girl works in the 'bedroom' part of the dorm; getting Carlos properly dried and dressed in warmer clothes, Mal busies herself in the bathroom, gathering up Carlos' previous outfit and mopping up the water that remained on the floor. She tries not to think about her confrontation with Jay, or worry about Carlos, or classes or…anything, instead focusing on the task at hand.

It works until she finally finishes and returns to the other room. Evie is rubbing a towel vigorously through Carlos' hair, talking animatedly about something to do with genetic inheritance. The boy is entirely silent, but his expression is interested, his eyes slowly regaining a bit of light as he absorbs whatever it is Evie is telling him. Then he spots Mal, and his expression falters, his brow furrowing with worry as he seems to shrink on the bed.

Mal feels that guilt twist in her gut again, and she grits her jaw against the apology that wants to escape. He was worried because of her, her brain reminds her sternly. She had to do something about it. Evie's visually reminds her with an encouraging nod, and Mal would have scowled at her if it wouldn't upset Carlos. She settles instead for a subtle narrowing of her eyes, but she moves towards the bed anyway, holding up her hand and dangling a small chain from her fingers.

"I found this," she says casually to Carlos. "Thought you might want it back." She extends the red dog tail, and Carlos straightens and accepts the tail from her, clipping it to the belt of his softer pants. He makes a humming sound that Mal _thinks_ might be 'thank you,' but she isn't entirely sure.

She raises a brow at Evie, who shakes her head, signing quickly; she makes the sign for the letter 'A'- a fist hand shape, with her thumb against the side of her hand; and with her palm back, she brings her hand up and touches it to her lips.

[Mute.]

Fucking great, Mal thinks, but she tries not to let her frustration show on her face. Worse than when he simply resorted to one word answers, there were rare moments where Carlos just refused to talk at all; whether out of self-preservation, or else in the aftermath of a fit like this, he'd play 'mute' until he decided to talk again. Mal sighs, deciding it would be better not to mention it, and sits on the opposite bed, turning her head to stare out the window. The sky was still the dark blue of night, but there was a soft line of lighter blue along the horizon, and Mal started, straightening on the edge of bed.

"Shit, guys," she says, turning back to Evie and Carlos. "It's almost 2 and we have class tomorrow!"

She glances at the clock on the table beside her and throws up her hands. "It _is_ 2," she sighs.

Carlos frowns, straightening slowly and looking around the room. He turns back to Mal and furrows his brows at her, bringing up a hand and signing; he extended a pinkie and with a twist of his wrist, made a 'J' in the air- his simplified sign for [Jay], since he insisted he didn't need a fancy sign name and it was easier to just fingerspell his name.

But Mal understood Carlos' silent question, and she can't help the scowl that slips across her face. "He left," Mal says, none too gently.

Carlos stiffens and then tries to hide it by pretending to roll his shoulders in a stretch. Evie gives Mal a glare of disapproval and clarifies in a much gentler tone than Mal had used.

"He was being a bit of a disruptive influence," she says. "So we told him to leave and calm down while we got things settled in here."

Carlos nods his understanding, but brings his hands up to sign again; he raises his left hand with fingers spread and palm facing sideways, he makes and exaggerated forward motion; then he points to Mal and Evie before bringing his left hand up off to the side of his body; he opens his hand with fingers slightly spread in a sort of 'mouth' before closing it again; then he brings his left hand up again; palm down with his thumb and pinkie fingers in a 'Y' shape, he moves his hand in a short back and forth motion; lifting his brows in question.

[You'll leave too?]

Evie lifts her head and gives Mal a worried look, like 'how do you want to answer this,' but Mal doesn't hesitate, giving Carlos what she hopes is a reassuring smile.

"Like I said, it's 2 am; I'm not climbing out along window ledges to get back to our room now."

Evie smiles knowingly at Mal, and relief melts across Carlos' face as he relaxes completely. Nodding his head and standing, he drags a pillow and the top blanket off of the bed that would have been Jay's. He tosses the pillow to the floor between the two beds, and pads over, spreading the blanket down beneath it.

"Don't you want to sleep in the bed?" Evie asks quickly, realizing his intentions, and Mal is grateful that the other girl had voiced her thoughts. She'd had enough of being concerned and caring for one day.

Carlos shakes his head, making a face and signing; bringing his hands up in front of him; both hands facing each other, he spreads them further out and away from each other in a slightly exaggerated motion.

[Too much.]

"Too much?" Evie repeats, frowning, and even Mal feels her own brow furrowing.

But Carlos doesn't clarify, just signs again; pointing to himself before touching his thumb to his chest, his hand in a 'five' shape; before pointing down at the space where he is.

[I'm fine here.]

"It's his room," Mal cuts in, shrugging carefully. "We're all here; we're safe…if he wants to sleep on the floor, then he can sleep on the floor."

Evie glares at her, but Carlos smiles gratefully, settling down between the blanket and the floor easily. Evie sighs, but settles back without comment, switching off the bedside lamp before pulling the sheets over herself.

It doesn't take Mal long to realize that she's not going to sleep. She shifts her weight a few times against the soft mattress, and even adjusts the pillows so she's lying on the cooler side, but even that does nothing to help. She huffs a sigh and rolls back over, noticing that Evie is sounds asleep already, curled up on her side with a pillow wrapped firmly in her arms. Mal growls softly in displeasure, envious of the other girl's ability. She flops onto her back and tried counting her breaths for all of two seconds before she's fed up.

"Screw this," she mutters, sitting up and flinging the covers off of her. She slips from the bed and crosses to the section of floor just at the foot of the sickeningly luxurious piece of furniture, and throws herself down on her stomach with little ceremony.

"Joining you," she grumbles to Carlos, who lies on his back perpendicular to her position and tilts his head to grin upside down at her.

'Told you,' he mouths silently, and Mal flips him off with a scowl.

"Go to sleep," she snaps at him, and he giggles under his breath, but obediently closes his eyes.

The floor is significantly easier to settle on than the bed, but it's only when she hears Carlos' soft snoring that Mal allows herself to fully relax. She closes her own eyes and rolls onto her side, the solid feel of the bed against her back reminding her of her corner pallet back at home.

 _Home._ The thought of the Isle brings a strange flurry of emotions that Mal isn't sure if she wants to examine. They needed to do this job… _she_ needed to do this. It was her chance to make a name for herself, and not just as 'Maleficent's daughter.' To have recognition as her own person, to come into her _own_ evil, and maybe…just maybe…create a better life for her group.

* * *

Ben

Ben adjusts his uniform jacket a final time and draws a steadying breath before knocking on the dorm room door. There's no sound from behind the wood, and Ben frowns, lifting his eyes to double check the number. 13…this was Mal and Evie's room. He knocks again, a little louder, but still no one answers.

"Huh," he mutters to himself, before glancing down the hall. It's empty, most of the other students on this floor already up for breakfast and early classes. He shakes his head, mystified, before walking down to the boy's room at 17. He tries again, running a hand through his hair before knocking on the door.

This time he gets a response, the clear sounds of shuffling footsteps before a voice calls out, "Who is it?"

The voice is low with suspicion, but Ben is surprised to recognize it as Mal's. He clears his throat and calls back through the door.

"It's Ben."

There's a soft whisper of voices behind the door, and then the latch clicks dully. "It's open," a new voice calls out. This time, it's Evie's, and Ben isn't entirely sure what to expect when he opens the door.

He lifts his brow as he surveys the room, everything still relatively intact, but clothes and random pieces of metal were strewn about the room. Mal stands just to the side of the door, and Evie is straightening the covers on one of the beds when he walks in. He spies Carlos shoving something into the closet, but the boy straightens when Ben clears his throat and greets them.

"Good morning," Ben says in what he hopes is a cheerful voice and not suspicious or concerned.

"Morning," Evie murmurs, and the blue haired girl _almost_ meets his eyes as she smiles at him.

Carlos sort of nods, looking at the wall just past him and quickly dropping his eyes again, his hands fiddling with something attached to his belt. Ben turns to Mal and his smile widens a bit when he notices that she's actually looking him straight in the eyes. It falters, however, when he realizes that her eyes are narrowed, and a bit of a brighter green than he remembered.

"Good morning Ben," Mal says shortly, and Ben has the sudden feeling like he's a little kid again; guilty and ashamed as his mother scolds him. "Or would 'Your Highness,' be better?"

"Mal!" Evie hisses sharply, worry lighting in her expression. Carlos has frozen completely, his body tense like he wants to run but isn't sure where to run to.

Ben winces at her tone, sharp with something like sarcasm, but that he recognizes by her expression as bitterness and maybe, even, a sense of betrayal. He sighs as he realizes that maybe he _shouldn't_ have tried to play things so casually after yesterday's events; especially since he's been the one to pass judgement on all of them.

"I knew I shouldn't have..."

"Kept your true identity hidden in an attempt to get close to us?" Mal finishes for him, her voice cold.

" _Mal_!" Evie hisses again, the fear and shock a little stronger this time.

Carlos flinches, shuffling away from Ben and Mal in a way that makes Ben feel like he's trying to avoid being grouped into whatever the girl is saying.

"Yeah, about that," Ben says slowly, his voice all too awkward and apologetic for his liking. "I wasn't trying to trick you, or anything, I promise. I just didn't want your first impression of me...of this place, to be as 'Prince Ben.'"

"Is that why you keep checking up on us, then?" Mal asks sharply, a hard suspicion creeping over the bitterness in her voice. "You want to make sure we're staying in line; see if we're passing all your tests?"

"No, of course not!" Ben quickly defends. "I just wanted to make sure you were all doing ok."

Evie and Carlos both frown at that; Evie looking thoughtful while Carlos looks confused. Mal however, scoffs at his words, her lips twitching in sardonic amusement.

"Yeah, right," she says with another short laugh. "There's no such thing."

Ben blinks at that, confused and caught off guard. "No such thing as what?"

"'Just making sure you're ok...'" Mal repeats sarcastically, shaking her head.

"You...you really think that?" Ben questions lowly, strangely hurt amidst his confusion. "That I can't check on you unless there's some ulterior motive?"

There's silence from Mal and the others, though the slight narrowing of Mal's eyes is answer enough. Ben can feel his face twisting, and he lowers his had to keep his feelings from showing. What had things been like on the Isle if even his natural generosity was something to be suspicious of? He blinks hard and forces himself to meet Mal's gaze, sincerity in his voice as he answers.

"It's not like that here," he promises.

Mal purses her lips but doesn't say anything more, instead turning her gaze pointedly away from his and striding towards the door. Carlos gives a startled yelp and scrambles after her, while Evie follows slower and gives Ben an apologetic look as she passes him. Ben sighs, and exits the room behind them, closing the door as he goes. Things would be harder than he thought, and he'd already anticipated some complications. But with the strange bruises and injuries, then the fight, and now this...

"Hey, um, where's Jay?" Ben asks, noting the tallest boy's absence.

Carlos ducks his head and cringes, and both Mal and Evie flinch at his question, though none of them make any move to answer him. He thinks he hears Mal muttering an insult of some kind under her breath, but he can't be sure. He shakes his head, and decides to try for the positive route.

"Maybe he beat you guys to breakfast," he offers.

Carlos makes a half-hearted noise of agreement, but that's all he gets out of them. Ben sighs and resigns himself to a rough day as they finally reach the dining hall. Mal jerks to a stop at the head of the line, and both Evie and Carlos tense behind her. Ben quickly slips towards the front of the group and raises a hand in a reassuring gesture.

"It's ok guys," he says quickly. "Breakfast is a little different than the other meal times. We've set it up like a buffet, and it's served from 6:30am to 9:00am for anyone to grab as they need to on the way to class." He chuckles sheepishly and grins at them. "It's a bit of a free for all, sorry."

Mal and Evie exchange a look, and Ben swears he sees Mal's eyes flash green as a slow smile spreads across the girl's face. "It's ok," Mal says lowly, and Ben feels a pang of worry at her amused tone. "Free for all's we can handle."

The villain kids rearrange their position, and with Carlos in front and both girls just behind him on either side, they stride confidently into the chaos of the dining hall.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ben groans to himself as he follows them.

* * *

Carlos

Carlos has to employ every ounce of his skills to keep his 'callous' mask in place as he waits in line with Mal and Evie. He's not so much nervous as thrilled, and they aren't waiting, really. Stalking would be better. He clears his throat to disguise a laugh and revels in the way the students closest to them flinch, darting anxious glances over their shoulders at the 'dangerous villains.' Evie stays by his side while Mal moves forward in the line and grabs things off the buffet, piercing anyone who dared get too close with a vicious, green eyed glare.

"Damn, I've missed this," Mal mutters under her breath to him as he slides down a place in line and snatches a roll from another student's fingers.

"Nothing like making people cower in fear of you to start the day," Evie agrees with a giggle as she smiles sweetly at a tanned, brunette boy with curly hair. The boy blinks, then quickly runs a hand through his curly locks and grins back, completely unaware as Mal slides up behind him and relieves his tray from the table where he'd set it down.

Carlos snickers as Mal dumps the tray's contents onto his own plate, subtly shifting his body out of view and flashing a challenging grin of his own at the other boy. The boy falters, glancing over at Evie and then back at Carlos, a hesitation in his gaze. Carlos decides to play along and straightens his back, lifting a brow as he nods sharply. Strangely, instead of flinching away, the other boy grins again, nodding at Carlos in a way that's almost like respect before he turns to grab his tray from the table.

Watching the boy stare in confusion at his now empty tray is enough to distract Carlos from the strange reaction, and he can't help but laugh a bit as the other boy whirls around again with a mystified expression on his face as he meets Carlos' gaze. Mal and Evie tense beside him, ready for a negative reaction, but Carlos simply plasters an innocent expression on his face and shrugs his shoulders at the other boy. The boy shakes his own head, but he's laughing too, and is about to make his way over to them when someone shouts across the dining hall.

"Aziz, let's go, we're late!"

The boy turns to see who's calling him, and Carlos follows his gaze to see another tanned-skinned youth hovering in the doorway. The other boy's hair is straighter and hangs half in his face, and the boy jerks his head to clear his view, causing a few of the girls nearby to swoon.

"Just a sec, Nikki!" Aziz calls back, and the other boy jerks his hair out of his eyes again before exiting the hall.

Aziz turns back to them, smile still in place. He nods at Evie and Mal, then winks knowingly at Carlos before turning and dashing across the dining hall and out the door.

"Ok then," Mal drawls slowly, clearly unsure how to handle the encounter.

Carlos chuckles a bit more, shaking his head as he takes a bite out of his roll. Except, his teeth close on empty air, and Carlos frowns as he stares down at his empty hand.

"B-but I…" he blinks, then looks back up to the door Aziz had left out of, the wood just beginning to swing shut.

"Oh, he's good," Evie says with a laugh, handing Carlos her spare roll.

"I don't think even Jay could have pulled that off so flawlessly," Mal adds, but then she frowns suddenly, her eyes narrowing as she stares at the now closed door.

"What?" Evie asks what Carlos is thinking, but can't say with everyone else around to hear.

"I thought his name sounded familiar and now I remember why," Mal mutters, her frown deepening. "He was that guy I overheard with Ben the other night; when we were in the lab."

" _What_?" Evie hisses, so sharply that the remaining students hovering nearby decide to flee for their safety.

"He said you were a genius, Carlos," Mal says to him with a slight smile. "Apparently he was very impressed with your lock picking skills."

Carlos chuckles smugly, pleased that someone else recognized his gifts. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. If Aziz was able to pick out a broken lock, would he be able to tell who had done it? He seemed like an ok guy, but if he knew that they had broken into the lab, would they be safe?

"Let's find a table and worry about it then," Evie suggests, and Carlos nods hastily. Suddenly, the breakfast buffet didn't seem as fun, and was now dangerous territory with so many eyes on them.

They turn to their regular table in the corner by the door, but Mal stiffens as they approach, a soft growl slipping past her lips. Carlos braces himself for an attack or an enemy appearance, but it's only Jay, an empty tray in front of him as he rocks on the back legs of his chair and surveys the crowds.

"You have some nerve," Mal snarls lowly, and Jay glances up with a sarcastic grin.

"Good morning to you too," he chirps back, and Mal looks all set to slam her tray of food into his face, but Evie places a hand on her arm, frowning she intercedes.

"Can we not do this right now?" she asks, glaring at both Jay and Mal.

Mal glares murderously at Jay, but says nothing as she sits down at the opposite end of the table. Carlos shares an anxious look with Evie and quickly decides to sit with the other girl, just in case things got violent.

"Where were you?" Mal gets right to the chase, and Evie places her fork back down on her plate.

"So much for leaving things be," she mutters, and Carlos nervously chews at his biscuits and gravy, eyes darting back and forth between the two older teens.

"I was around," Jay answers easily, still rocking in his chair as though he weren't receiving death threats from Mal's eyes.

"But not where you needed to be," Mal snaps. "Though I guess I should have known better than to expect more from you."

Jay's chair slams to the floor, and Carlos flinches, ducking his head and waiting for the bullets to start flying.

"You want to go _there_ Mal?" Jay rumbles. "Really?"

"Well for someone who's always questioning my leadership, I would have thought you'd at least have _some_ sense of responsibility." Mal shrugs a shoulder, her eyes like daggers. "But again, I should have known."

"Go suck a-"

A shrill ringing cuts off Jay's retort, and it takes Carlos a moment to realize that the ringing was not in his head. The bell chimes above them and all the students scramble up, a few running for the buffet line to grab a last minute treat to take on the way to class. Carlos leaps to his feet with Evie, never more grateful to go to class. He doesn't look behind him as he races after the blue haired girl in front of him, and so he doesn't see the continued, silent exchange between Mal and Jay. He doesn't notice Jay split off from the group and disappear out the opposite door, or see Mal's crude hand gesture at his retreating back.

It's only when they reach Remedial Goodness 101 that he notices anything amiss, as the Fairy Godmother pauses as she spots them enter, and asks in an all too concerned voice:

"Oh my, where's Jay?"

* * *

 **Ok, guys, here's my Poll/Question to you. As I mentioned, I'm debating whether or not to include pairings in this fic. What I want to know is what pairings would you guys like to see? But I'm not just asking for your favorite ships, I want to know why you think that particular pairing works, what makes those characters/that relationship good for each other.**

 **Canon pairings, or otherwise, I want to hear from you! (I may be open to same sex relationships, but the same rules apply; tell me why you think it works) Note that I'm not just looking for VKs relationships, AKs relationships are great too! Though bear in mind that any relationships involving the VKs will be slow burn, but the relationship will still be there. (Though I don't think I'll include any romantic relationships amongst the VKs, as I see them as more of a 'family' unit, and so that would be weird. Sorry to disappoint.)**

 **Thanks for your help with this guys! The amount of response I've gotten on this story, from reviews to follows and favorites, really means a lot to me, so thank you for that!**

 **\- Raven**


	9. Take it slow, my friends are heathens

**Hey guys! I hope I haven't made you wait too long for this next chapter, although hopefully the chapter is worth the wait. ;)**

 **Ok, sorry for the terrible joke. On to my reviews! (Feel free to skip to my Notes, as this bit is quite long...you guys had a lot to share, lol!)**

* * *

 **dancergymnast2003: Hey, it's good to hear from you again! Thanks for your input! I agree, I do like Jay and Evie as well, though for this story at least, that wouldn't be an option. But maybe if ever wrote for Descendants again, I'd go that route. :) Bal might be a weird ship, not to mention the _name_ , though I can see some merits. I'm not sure what I'll do, but Evie and Ben, now that is an interesting pairing and I don't think I've seen it in the fandom yet! I will definitely be considering all of it, so thanks for the idea.**

 **Bookgirl111: I'm sorry if I confused you! Don't feel dumb, it took me forever to understand all the lingo with this fandom as well, haha! AK means "Auradon Kid" and VK means "Villain Kid."**

 **As for the ASL, I'm still learning the language myself, and definitely a novice at best, so I hope you'll have mercy on my writer's soul! ;) All of my ASL signs are coming from a website I referenced in one of my earlier Author's Notes called lifeprint(d o t)com, and the site was created by a deaf ASL professor in California as a resource/learning site for ASL students and teachers.**

 **Guest1: (I'm assuming you wrote the two side by side reviews on Carlos and Aziz, but if you did not, I apologize for my error.) I definitely think Carlos and Aziz could work as a pairing, though it would definitely take some time on both sides of the relationship. I'm glad you liked them so much, though, and thank you for the vote!**

 **Kameron the God of Fairytales: Glad you see you're still following this thing! It's good to hear from you! I'm glad you love this story so much, and I'm glad you also see the potential in Carlos and Aziz. Though I can't help but feel that Aziz would be the one showing Carlos the dark side, lol! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Tiredandlazy: Believe me, I feel your pain! In case you haven't noticed from all my other responses and notes, I ALWAYS say 'haha' a lot! ;) I'm glad you think this story is so well written, and that you especially think my dialogue is realistic because I always worry about the talking part, especially making sure I'm not word vomiting information onto everyone all at once, haha! (See?!) Yeah that fight was intense to write, especially on the aftermath of Carlos' emotional panic attack and flashbacks, whew! I'm glad you like Aziz, and I'm sorry you couldn't find him! If you can, try google searching again, because I've heard he's been confirmed for the second movie, and there are photos of his _new_ actor all over google images. (He's not the same Aziz I'm imagining here, but it helps to have _something_ to go on.) Anyway, I hope you continue to read and enjoy this story, and I look forward to hearing what you think of this latest chapter.**

 **Rowan: Thank you so much for your thoughts and advice! I totally agree, relationships would be too much for the VKs, and I'm not going to jump into anything right away, I promise! I might not even include relationships at all, but I just wanted to get a feel for what everyone was thinking, and if I saw potential in a relationship, I could (very) slowly build up to that. :) And thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter so much!**

 **Guest2: There's definitely potential in Carlos and Jane, as they're both really similar to each other and could balance each other out. I'm not sure how much of a Jane/Carlos relationship I would pursue, romantic wise, but I like the idea of a sibling sort of bond with Jane and Jay. That's really great, and I'll definitely be thinking about it! Hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Shots and Giggles: Hi, welcome to my story! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy this year. :) As to your input on the pairings, I think Jay and Lonnie work pretty well together, especially more than a Jay/Audrey. I feel like Jay isn't really a 'fuss' kind of guy, and Lonnie is independent, but still feminine without being clingy. So I would definitely be willing to consider something like that. Thanks for the idea and I will be updating again soon!**

 **Guest3: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much. :)**

 **Kay245: Thank you for the review and the kind words, especially your input about the ships. I try not to get too into shipping, but always end up failing miserably, especially if a really good ship comes along, lol! I'm not sure yet if I'll include ships between the VKs in this story, but I am a fan of Jay and Evie, for pretty much all the reasons you mentioned, hahaha! ;) So no worries about explaining, I got you. Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **theNiceDevil: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! You know, I don't think I've seen a Mal and Jay relationship yet in this fandom. I don't know yet if I'll include relationships between the VKs for this particular story, but it's definitely an interesting idea! I hope you continue to follow along and enjoy, and don't worry, they'll get things solved eventually. :)**

 **HorsesInMySoul: It's good to hear from you again! I'm glad you're still following this thing. Thank you so much for your kind words. It means a lot to hear that someone enjoys the crazy stuff I come up with, haha! ;) Thanks for your input with the pairings. I wasn't sure if I should include relationships, but I figured I'd at least get a feel for what everyone reading was thinking.**

 **Marie: Thank you for the review, and your thoughts about the pairings. I agree, Peeta did help balance Katniss out a lot, and I can see the comparison between Ben and Mal. I'm definitely still considering things, and Ben is almost _too_ sweet and naïve. He'd got a lot of maturing to do, but there's going to be character development for everyone, so we'll see how it goes.**

 **Kris68: Hey, good to hear from you again! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, and thank you for your kind words and your input on the relationships. I definitely feel the same; that relationships would take away from the main point of the story, but I wanted to get a feel for what everyone reading this was thinking, which is why I asked for input. Any relationship I did though wouldn't come for a while. And I do like the Jay and Evie ship, I think they complement each other well. You know you're the second person to suggest Mal and Jay? I never would have thought about it, but I could definitely see it. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Seawhimsy321: Thank you so much for the review, and for sharing all your ideas and thoughts! I had a lot of fun looking up all the personality types you mentioned, lol! Might just have to incorporate some stuff now. ;) In regards to your advice on the pairings, I do really like the thought of just some simply platonic relationships, and especially what you had mentioned about Carlos/Aziz. It tends to be forgotten in the midst of all the shipping frenzy and especially with Disney, that there can be some pretty awesome platonic relationships/friendships, too, so thanks for that! I hope you will continue to read and enjoy this story!**

 **Maggie: Well, I certainly have plans for Chad in this story, though I have to say your suggestion did catch me off guard! It's definitely not a common ship in this fandom, though I think it's more because, for the most part he's painted in a very static, negative light in both the movie, and the fandom. (Don't get me wrong, he's a total douche, even in my story) But I plan to develop his character a good bit more than just a spoiled brat, haha. I might take some of your suggestion as inspiration for that! ;) Not sure about the ship itself just yet, but we'll see where things go. Thanks for the review, and I hope you'll continue to follow and enjoy my story. :)**

 **Nik137nvty: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much. I don't plan to stop any time soon, and I hope you won't stop following along and enjoying! (And yes, that was a MCR reference…this fic has inadvertently become a bit of a song fic, at least, with some of the titles, haha! Glad you caught it! :))**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Whew, finger full to type! ;) I'm glad you're still following along, it was good to hear from you! I'm leaning towards Ben/Mal as well, and though it won't follow the typical romance pattern, I think I'd be able to make it work. Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this and don't worry, there'll be plenty more villainous moments for the gang, lol!**

 **Brainiac1089: Oh gosh, you really went in depth for this thing, didn't you?! Haha, thank you so much for reviewing, and for your kind words! I really appreciate it and I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! I hope I can do your expectations justice! In regards to your thoughts on the pairings, I agree, I do like Ben/Mal, but the way things went in the movie was just _too_ Disney perfect. Got to keep things realistic, right? ;) I'm not sure where the original author was going in terms of pairings, just that they didn't plan on including Jay/Carlos, or Doug/Evie. It's really up for grabs, but I'm leaning more towards trying to keep things platonic. We'll see how it goes, though, and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy this story! :)**

 **IWantColoredRain: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story, and hopefully this update is soon enough for you. ;)**

 **Alex: Thank you for the review, and your kind words. I'm glad you love this story so much! And thank you for the criticism; I didn't even realize I was emphasizing Carlos so much, and I will do my best to even things out among the group in the future. :)**

 **Guest4: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the tension, lol. Thank you for the input on the pairings; I'm definitely leaning more to keeping things neutral for now, I just wanted to see what my readers thought. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **starflight34: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much. I think you're the third or fourth person to suggest Jay/Mal to me, haha. I'm not sure where I'm going with the relationships yet, but I appreciate the suggestion.**

 **Guest5: Thank you for the review, and for your input. I'll admit, I was a bit worried to ask for input since I thought it might escalate into an argument. I'm thinking I might keep things platonic for now, and see where things go in the future.**

 **Yoyo: Don't worry, Carlos will have his moment…quite soon, actually. *insert more maniacal chuckling here* Thank you for your input on the pairings, I like Ben/Mal too, though platonic definitely seems the way to go for the time being. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying! :)**

* * *

 **Ok, Author's Notes!**

 **This chapter contains the usual, Warnings for crude language and mentions of abuse, as well as bullying and mild abuse by a teacher towards a student. (That's right, the evil biology teacher is back! *cue sinister chuckling* Oh, just you _wait_!)**

 ****A huge thank you and shout out to Mersang, who reviewed earlier on with a slew of info for the biology portion of this chapter. Credits for that bit to him/her! I hope I did your idea justice. ****

 **There's also a POV shift, as well as some Disney references, so I hope you all enjoy that.**

 **On a different note, as well as the usual sign language, this chapter contains a brief cameo of Arabic; courtesy of Google Translate, so for any speakers of the language, native or otherwise, please forgive any grammar issues or inconsistencies! It is not my intention to offend in _any_ way with this story, despite the subject matter.**

* * *

 **Note part 2: This chapter contains multiple 'flashes' of flashback. I separated everything appropriately, but instead of constant _Italic POV Heading_ , I did things a bit differently, for creativity's sake. I hope it's not too confusing, but do let me know, and I can go back and edit for you guys.**

 **I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

 **(I'll have another note at the bottom so keep an eye out for that.)**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Fairy Godmother

The Fairy Godmother is an excellent judge of character. She is always able to tell when something is wrong and someone needs her help (how else would she be able to do her job?), and despite being known for her compassionate and doting nature, she 'doesn't take crap from nobody,' to quote something she'd heard the kids say.

She hadn't been nearly as hesitant to accept Ben's decree to bring the villain children over to Auradon; they were children in need, after all, and she happily took it upon herself to play the guiding mother role. That first day in class had tested her patience, true, but it had also tested all of her previously held beliefs of childhoods and how children were supposed to act. They had come to her subdued; quiet and wary, watchful of every move she made. They bickered between each other like siblings, but every one of their mannerisms held a certain fear, an anticipation of some kind of pain, and although Cinderella hadn't been nearly as bad as these children had, the Fairy Godmother couldn't help but see the similarities.

And so she studied her charges closely, analyzing their answers to her questions in an attempt to better understand just what they had been through. The bruises were glaring enough, but they painted too broad of a picture for her to see. They could just as well have been inflicted by the other children of the Isle, if they all had some of the violent tendencies that she had noticed with her four.

She already considers them hers, in a way, and she liked to think that she had picked up enough on their personalities to notice when something was amiss, and so it is with these thoughts in mind that she falters at the head of the classroom. She takes in the three children before her and instantly feels a flicker of _wrong_ , that is made no less obvious by the fact that there are only three of them there.

"Oh my," she says softly, worry clouding her usually cheerful tone. "Where's Jay?"

Fairy Godmother watches as Carlos shrinks in his chair, and while the gesture is clearly a defensive one, she can see the flicker of something like sorrow in his face before he hides it. Both Mal and Evie are silent, but while Evie's silence is worried and tense, Mal's is one of cold fury and betrayal. Fairy Godmother frowns, her own worry growing as she wonders what had happened to cause this sudden rift between the four, but she forces herself to remain calm and in control of the situation.

"Well, our lesson today will continue where we left off yesterday, and I decided that in light of recent events, it would be best to discuss with all of you some _appropriate_ ways to deal with your anger."

She notices a flicker of amusement in Mal's expression, but it quickly turns to boredom as the girl begins writing on a piece of paper. Fairy Godmother recognizes the gesture for the defense that it is, and decides not to press further.

"This topic will also be the basis for our first detention," the woman directs at Carlos. "Wherever Jay is, I do hope you will pass this information on to him."

The small boy winces at her words, but nods his head slowly in understanding. Fairy Godmother nods as well before straightening and returning to the task at hand, turning to the blackboard and indicating the question with her staff.

"If someone hands you a crying baby, do you, A) Curse it? B) Lock it in a tower? C) Carve out its heart? Or D) Give it a bottle?"

She turns back to her students, but they're all silent, a heaviness in the air as they either stare at their desks, or in Mal's case, the piece of paper that she's drawing on. Fairy Godmother sighs as she realizes the lesson will not be proceeding as planned, and so she decides to take the opportunity given to her. She picks up an eraser and begins clearing the chalkboard, moving in slow dramatic gestures as she gives her students time to collect themselves in whatever way they choose. When she turns around again, they're all staring at her, disbelief on Evie's face, and varying degrees of suspicion and worry on Mal and Carlos.'

"I can see that something is bothering you, children," Fairy Godmother explains gently. "This class isn't just for teaching you; I like to think that it's also a safe space for us to learn about each other."

Mal rolls her eyes and focuses back on her drawing, but there's an uncomfortable look on her face that doesn't escape the older fairy's gaze. Evie and Carlos exchange a pointed look, but no one make any move to explain things to her.

"I won't force anything out of you, but I hope you know that I am here to help in any way you might need," Fairy Godmother says carefully. "Now, there's still about 45 minutes left of this class period, and while I won't dismiss you entirely from the lesson, you may use the time as a study period if you prefer."

She knows that at this point, trying to continue a lesson would be futile as no one's attention would really be on her, and so she decides to let them have a moment of peace. Maybe in the quiet atmosphere, they would let their guard down and allow themselves to hear what she had said. She retreats to her desk atop the podium's stage and lets the silence continue, drawing a stack of papers from her drawer and beginning to grade. She watches out of the corner of her eye as a tense moment of silence passes, but finally, Carlos draws a textbook from his bag, and Evie slides over to sit at the table with him, the girl silently conversing over the subject as the smaller boy takes notes. Mal continues to draw, but every now and then the girl lifts her head to glare around at the room, relaxing only when she sees that Evie and Carlos are still there with her.

The Fairy Godmother sighs quietly as she watches the children. It would take a lot more than a simply bippidi-boppidy-boo to make things right with them, but she'd be darned if she didn't try her hardest for them. It didn't matter to her that their success meant the success of the kingdom as a whole. They were hurting children in need of a Fairy Godmother, and she would do everything in her power to give them the happy endings they deserved.

* * *

Ben

Ben sighs as he glances down at his buzzing phone for what felt like the hundredth time that day, the device creating a surprising amount of noise as it rattles against his table. He turns his attention to the mirror in front of him, frowning as he adjusts his tie.

"You really should answer them, you know."

Audrey's voice is stern from where she sits on the bed behind him, an array of books and color coordinated schedules littered about her.

"I know," Ben agrees with a grimace. "I just wanted to try and pretend like things were normal before I loaded them down with everything going wrong."

"You know for the future king, you're not very organized or responsible, Benny boo," she scolds mildly.

"You know I hate that nickname," he complains, and she laughs, her reflection shaking her head at him through the mirror.

"I know," she teases. "That's why I use it."

He makes a face at her through the mirror, but his expression twists even further as his phone starts buzzing again. He groans, and Audrey purses her lips as she highlights something in her notebook.

"You might as well get it over with," she cajoles, and he groans again, a little louder. He _really_ didn't want to face his parents right now, not with everything going so wrong. But deep down, he knew Audrey was right; putting it off would just make it worse.

He turns and holds out a hand, running his other hand through his hair as he sighs. "Hand me the phone," he grumbles.

He catches his still buzzing phone that she tosses to him, and ignoring her satisfied smirk, he turns his back and answers the phone.

"Hello?"

"You haven't been answering your messages, Benjamin."

It's his mother's voice that responds, her voice cool and stern. He grimaces at her use of his full name, but manages to keep his own voice steady as he answers.

"I'm sorry about that, really. Things have just been crazy here and…."

"Oh, we've _heard_."

The voice that cuts him off is a low and deep rumble, and Ben falters, drawing in a quick breath.

"You have?" he manages shakily.

"We have," his father repeats, and Ben hears his mother sigh quietly in the background.

"You're on speaker, Ben," she confirms sharply, and she can almost imagine her rolling her eyes at his dad as she takes over again. "And yes, the Charming's were over yesterday afternoon with a very _interesting_ letter from the Fairy Godmother."

 _Crap_ , Ben thinks. He'd forgotten Fairy Godmother was going to letter Cinderella! His hopes of keeping things quiet had never even had a chance.

"Oh," he squeaks, and he sees Audrey lift a brow at him in the mirror.

"Is it true, Benjamin?" His father growls. "Did those _villains_ of yours attack Chad?!"

Ben hears his mother gasp out his father's name in the background, but he's too busy trying to reign in his spinning thoughts to concentrate. He manages to get himself together enough to try for a response.

"They're not my…" he begins, then stops, starting again with a bit more firmness. "They're _not_ villains, Dad."

He hears his father starts spluttering protests, but he continues before he loses his resolve.

"There was a fight, and Emil wound up with a dislocated shoulder, but it really wasn't…."

"A _knife_ Benjamin!" His father's shout is loud enough that Ben cringes, jerking the phone away from his ear. "They snuck a _knife_ into _my_ kingdom and attacked _innocent_ Auradon students with it! If _that's_ not something a villain would do, then…."

"Dad!" Ben starts, just as his mother cries _"Adam!"_ in the background. "That's not how it happened at all!"

"Do explain, then," his father says with forced calm, and Ben knows his mother must be glaring at him to keep him subdued.

Ben draws a slow breath, and waits until he's sure he won't falter or be interrupted to speak. "Things with the children of the Isle are a lot more complicated than we thought."

"We?"

 _"Adam,"_ his mother says sharply, and there's quiet again.

"Than I thought," Ben amends. "There's…something, I don't know what, but they're not...villainous."

There's a cough on the other end of the phone that Ben recognizes as his Dad's 'I want to say something here,' cough, but he's not interrupted.

"They're all really quiet; like, 'not normal' quiet, and they've only just now started to meet my eyes when I talk with them. And then there's Carlos…."

Behind him, Audrey has stopped pretending to organize her schedule and is sitting up, her own eyes worried as she watches his face through the mirror.

"Cruella's son?" His mother questions softly, her previous sternness forgotten.

"What about him?" His father asks, and though his tone is still gruff, it's _slightly_ less harsh than before.

"What happened with the fight," Ben explains slowly. "Is because Carlos has a stutter, which we didn't know about."

"A villain with a stutter? That's preposterous!"

His mother clears her throat, and his father pauses his incredulous tirade. "We would have heard about something like that, Ben," his mother says, much more tactfully.

"I would have thought," Ben agrees. "But we didn't really get a lot of information to begin with, and all we heard about Carlos was that he didn't talk. I thought that meant he was mute, but now I know that wasn't it."

"No, I suppose not," his mother agrees quietly, and he can tell she's still a bit stunned.

"But what does this have to do with the fight?" his father interrupts, and Ben nods even though it can't be seen through the phone.

"Chad and some of the other guys found out that Carlos has a stutter when he talked in class. They were teasing him about it, but something was said that turned it physical, and by the time I got there, Emil had a dislocated shoulder and Carlos had a knife."

He knows it must sound as bad as he thinks it does, because neither of his parents say anything for a while. Ben tries pacing, but then he decides to sit, and settles anxiously on the edge of the bed where Audrey is.

"It wasn't Carlos' fault," Ben says firmly, cutting through the awkward silence. "Or Jay's, either."

"Jay?" his mother questions softly.

"Jafar's son," Ben clarifies reluctantly. "He was...also…involved."

His father hums lowly, and when he speaks, his voice is a deliberate drawl. "I think this whole situation shows that perhaps things are not as in your control as you have us believe. I think these... _children_ are dangerous, and the knife is just further proof of that."

"While I agree that things are definitely not perfect, I think the knife is further proof of just how wrong things are," Ben counters.

"In what way?" his father retorts.

"If the first reaction to a threat, even a relatively mild one, is to pull out a knife and attack without question, then I'd say something wasn't right," Ben says.

"Of course it's not right, they're villains, Ben!"

"No they're not!" Ben snaps, abandoning his diplomatic approach completely. "They're kids, just like the rest of us here, and they _deserve_ this chance!"

"Ben," his mother breaks in, scolding but gentle. "No one is denying that. We just think you need to go about this in the right way."

"I'm trying," Ben sighs, trying not to sound like he was whining. "But there's just so much we don't know."

"Well the stuttering was certainly an unexpected development," his father chimes in slowly. "I must say I am surprised we didn't know of that sooner."

"Not just the stuttering," Ben says. "Remember the folders? The file didn't even know all of their _ages_. Fairy Godmother thinks Carlos is 14 like Jane, but she says that they're all so undernourished, it's hard to tell much of anything. And there's just…I can't help but think…."

"What is it?" his mother presses, and he could hear her concern. "What else is bothering you?"

"Do you guys think...I mean…Villains love their kids too, right?"

His parents' responses are subdued, and not nearly as certain as he had been hoping for. There's a jerky "Of course," from his father, and a murmured "I'm sure they do, in their own ways," from his mother.

"But if _we_ don't even care enough," Ben begins, before cutting himself off. It sounded too much like an accusation, and he also can't help but feel an irrational sort of guilt; like his not know was responsible for that, somehow. His ignorance was their suffering.

"What do you mean, we don't care?" His father asks roughly.

"Of course we do, Ben," his mother adds firmly.

"I meant about them," Ben says softly. "Is...is it true that the Isle only gets our garbage?"

* * *

Jay

Jay storms across the campus, muttering curses under his breath as he glares at everyone who steps into his path, just daring them to cross him. They all skitter out of his way, some even whimpering in fear, but even that does nothing to clear his foul mood.

"Stupid Mal," he grumbles traitorously, storming across the gardens. "Fucking _bitch_."

He'd been kicked out of a lot of places before, even his own house by his own father, but to be thrown out of _his_ dorm room; a place that was _given_ to him, and for him alone...and to be kicked out by _Mal_ of all people; to be accused of not caring…he'd be damned if he let something like that slide. He might be many things, but Jayden Jafar'son was not heartless, despite what everyone believed. He had been around almost three whole years before Mal had even _existed_ , and he'd been the one to help Evie take care of Carlos back when they'd first met.

Jay had been the one to help with Carlos' stutter, and he and Evie had worked together to learn and teach the youngest of their group how to sign. Jay had stolen the books and Evie had done the teaching. Jay had been the first one Carlos had run to when Cruella started slipping even further, back when they were still kids; the one who taught the smaller boy how to make and wield his own knives; the one who had convinced Mal to bring Carlos into the core group in the first place.

How _dare_ she say that he didn't care! He sure as fuck cared more than Mal did, the scheming bitch. She only 'cared' when it was convenient for her, when she wanted something from you. Mal was just as manipulative as Maleficent, only focused on accomplishing her goals; and now with the plan to get the wand in place, that was all she really cared about. Not the group, and their chances to do something for themselves for a change. Not Carlos. Not…

"Smoke?"

 _What!?_

Jay whirls on his heel, fists up and ready for a fight, but when he looks around he realizes that he's back by the dorms, in the section of garden that crosses just behind the building. And there's a kid about his age, leaning against the side of the building with a cigarette, watching Jay out of dark eyes that were almost like his own.

"The fuck?" Jay snaps, and the other boy laughs, tossing his head as he does so.

"I said, 'do you want a smoke?'" The boy says, an amused smirk playing about his lips. "You look like you could use one."

"They let you smoke in Auradon?" Jay challenges, crossing his arms in defiance despite the fact that he actually could use a smoke.

"Nope," the boy says with a grin, and there's a certain glint in his eyes that reminds Jay of the Isle, somehow.

"Well look at that," he drawls, slowly striding over and moving to stand against the wall a few feet down from the other boy.

He catches the box of cigarettes and the lighter that is tossed to him, and plucks the remaining four cigarettes from the cardboard container, shoving three into his pocket and lighting the last, all while watching the other warily out of the corner of his eye. The kid just chuckles again, and shakes his head as he catches his lighter once Jay tosses it back to him.

"Fair enough," the kid says, shrugging a shoulder and taking a slow pull from his cigarette. "Name's Aziz, by the way."

Jay blinks at the name, but doesn't let his surprise show beyond that. He leans his weight against the wall and sizes the other boy up in a new light. He can see it now that he's really looking; the slightly olive cast to the tanned skin, the dark curls; but especially in his eyes, and the oh-so-subtle lilt in his words. The accent wasn't strong by any means, but it was distinct as anything if you knew what to listen for. And Jay did know.

 _"Min ay balad 'ant?"_ he asks, and though he tries not to sound too suspicious, he's certain it's there in his tone anyway.

[Where are you from?]

Aziz straightens, a look of pleasant surprise on his face as he answers. _"Laqad wulidat huna, fi_ Auradon _. Walakun waliday kan alfiran fi alshshawarie almaerufat fi_ Agrabah. _"_

Jay regrets his little test instantly, because he hadn't even understood half of what the other boy had said. His Arabic must be worse than he thought, because all he could really pick out was something about being born in Auradon, something about a father, and…Jay was _certain_ he had misheard that part…mice on the streets.

"A little rusty, are you?" Aziz says with a laugh, a mischievous glint in his dark eyes. "That's ok, I don't know much either; just enough to make it through dinners with the family."

"A family of mice, apparently." Jay scoffs, flicking ash from the end of his cigarette and feigning disinterest to mask his embarrassment.

"Makes things a little awkward with the family pet, but who ever said being a street rat was easy?"

Jay stiffens, sucking in a sharp breath that sends a knife through his chest as the smoke from the cigarette went with it. Something hazy comes across his vision and before he's even aware of it, he's slammed Aziz against the dorm building's wall; pinning the boy with the weight of his own body and digging his arm into the other boy's throat. Jay's reaches by instinct for his belt, but it closes around empty air with his knife would have been.

"Something I said?" Aziz asks innocently, but there's a calculating look in those dark eyes that Jay knows all too well, and he bares his teeth in a fierce grimace at the other boy.

" _Street_. _Rat_?" Jay repeats icily, and clarification flickers across Aziz's face.

"Ha, I didn't mean it personally, man," he says smoothly, and that easy smile is back on his face, despite the vulnerable position Jay held him in. "It's a bit of a running joke in my family, see?"

"I'll bet," Jay growls, not the least bit amused, but he backs off enough to let Aziz breathe normally again. The other boy doesn't even flinch, doesn't even retaliate with an attack of his own. He simply straightens his jacket and extends a hand, grinning as he meets Jay's eyes.

"Mind if I steal back one of my cigarettes?" he asks. "I kind of dropped mine when you accidentally knocked me into the wall there."

Jay narrows his eyes at the crazy kid in front of him, shaking his head slowly as he offers the requested item. "You're the strangest son of a bitch I've ever met," he mutters. "And that's _really_ saying a lot."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Aziz replies, lighting the fresh cigarette and sticking it in the corner of his mouth. "But I'm pretty sure my mom would kick your ass."

"Please," Jay snorts, a vulgar sort of smirk playing about his lips. "I'd f…" But then he catches himself, realizing that maybe his joke wouldn't be well received from what was technically his enemy.

Instead of looking offended, however, Aziz just looks amused at Jay's blunder, rolling his eyes and taking a quick drag from his cigarette. "I'd love to see you try," he says with a soft chuckle.

Jay watches as Aziz settles back against the dorm wall and starts smoking again, not even a bit worried over Jay's presence despite the fact that he'd slammed the other boy into the wall a second ago. Jay bares his teeth into a grimace and growls, his hands clenching at his sides.

"Ok, no," Jay snaps through his teeth. "This isn't how this is supposed to work! This _doesn't_ work!"

"And, what is 'this?'" Aziz questions calmly, peering at Jay out of the corner of his eyes.

"This!" Jay cries, motioning between himself and the other boy. "We're supposed to hate each other…I hate you."

"No you don't," Aziz says, shaking his head.

"I do," Jay insists, but even he doesn't sound as sure of himself as he should be.

"Ok, well, hate me then," Aziz responds with a shrug. "But I don't hate you."

"You should," Jay finds himself saying, his voice dropping into what Evie called his 'dark and brooding' tone. "You should hate me."

"Why? Because your Dad's Jafar?"

In spite of himself, the mention of his father's name makes Jay tense, and something hard coils in his gut. "What do you know of it?" he snaps sharply, crossing his arms defensively.

"Just the stories," Aziz answers with another shrug, but his voice is low and cautious like Jay's. "But you've got the life experience, so really, I know nothing."

"There's nothing to know," Jay retorts bitterly. "Nothing glamorous about living on the streets."

"You guys didn't get a house on the Isle or anything?" Aziz asks, and a part of Jay registers the deliberate casualty, but he's too lost in thought to really care.

"Please," he snorts. "This is Jafar we're talking about; of _course_ he has a house."

"True," Aziz chuckles a bit, but it's not quite as cheerful as his usual laugh. "But not you?"

"I'd get to live in the house as long as I could keep his shelves stocked," Jay explains. "If I didn't get a good enough score, or if he just didn't want to see me that day, I was out with the rest of the group. Which is fine by me," Jay adds with a scoff. "I do it better out there anyway."

"Yeah, but…it was your house too," Aziz responds slowly. "I mean, you had every right to be there."

Jay snorts, rolling his eyes at the other boy. "Maybe that's how things work here in Auradon," he retorts.

"No," Aziz murmurs quietly. "That's how things work everywhere."

"Huh," Jay laughs shortly. "Back home, you have to earn your keep. If you don't work, you don't survive."

"Harsh," Aziz comments, but Jay shrugs, and it's his turn to offer the easy smile.

"That's just the way of the streets," he says.

"The way of the streets," Aziz repeats, bringing his hand up slowly and taking another pull from his cigarette.

His actions are casual, but Jay can sense the slowness there; the hesitation. He doesn't like the weird look Aziz is giving him, that look he'd seen Fairy Godmother giving them that first day in class. It was that strange look kind of like 'caring,' but there was an edge to Aziz's look that turned it angry. But what had he said? What did Aziz care about Jay's life? Care enough to be angry about it?

Jay frowns, not liking the way this conversation had turned, and especially not liking the way it made him feel. Who was Aziz, anyway, to suggest that something about Jay's life was wrong? Why didn't Aziz just focus on his own life instead of poking at Jay's?

"Well," Aziz says suddenly, his much brighter tone jerking Jay out of his dark thoughts. "One street rat to another, how are you liking Auradon so far?"

"Ok first, your dad's the rat; you're more like, I don't know…a mouse at best," Jay counters with a smirk. "And second, it's been like, one day."

"A lot can happen in a day," Aziz replies easily. "After all, you did get into it with Chad, so…I guess that should indicate your general feeling for the place."

"Just my general feeling for him," Jay retorts with a sly grin. "This place isn't too bad, though. Which kind of sucks, because Mal…."

He falters, trailing off as he realizes that he'd almost revealed their entire reason for coming here.

Fuck it all, if Jafar had taught him anything about evil, it was the most crucial rule of villainy; never start monologuing and reveal your entire plan to the enemy! It was the one thing he'd emphasized above all else, and here Jay was spilling his guts. All because his enemy's son had acted like he _cared_.

 _Might just be a rat after all,_ Jay thinks, his eyes narrowing as Aziz lifts a brow at him in confusion and asks:

"What about Mal?"

"Nothing," Jay says, and he prides himself on his ability to keep his features neutral, and his tone merely disgruntled instead of sharp or panicked. "We couldn't agree on something, that's all."

He makes sure to keep it casual, because despite however angry he was with Mal, he knew better than to give away something that could be turned against them. If the enemy found out they were divided, well…he wasn't about to let something like that happen.

"I didn't want to mention it," Aziz comments. "But you looked pretty pissed stalking across the lawns like that. I was just picturing the cape whipping behind you, and maybe a little bird on your shoulder, or something."

He laughs, and Jay scowls, which only makes Aziz laugh harder.

"Is that why you called me over?" Jay snaps, clenching his fists. "You just wanted to try and get stuff out of me, poke fun because my Dad's Jafar?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just…"

"Forget it," Jay snarls, shaking his head in disgust. "Should have known better than to trust a street rat."

He turns away, disregarding the voice that pointed out the similarities between this fight, and Mal's; that said that Jay was really no better; and that if _Aziz_ was a street rat, then what did that make _him_?

"Jay!"

The use of his name catches Jay off guard, but he refuses to show it. He continues in his stride, his lip curling in disgust as he realizes that the cigarette he'd been given was still wedged between two fingers. He grits his jaw, clenching his hand into a fist as he bites out:

"Thanks for the smoke, Aziz. We should really do it again sometime."

His palm burns as the cigarette is crushed in his grip, but he opens his hand and lets it fall without flinching. If he'd learned anything from the Isle, it was how to ignore pain.

* * *

Carlos

The hallways of Auradon were swarming with students desperate to get to class, and Carlos despises his locker's position on the inside of the hall; envious that Mal and Evie got lockers on the outside balcony. It's by the grace of his reputation alone (well, that and his 'callous' mask) that everyone avoids getting in his path as he hovers anxiously by the wall. He fidgets with his dog tail as he scans the crowds, his hands the only part of him that he allows to move, and even those motions are subdued. Too much movement made him more of a target; standing still, he was glanced right over as everyone rushed along their own paths.

"There you are," a breathless voice murmurs from his left. He blinks his acknowledgement, but he's not caught off guard by Evie's sudden presence.

Life on the Isle meant always adapting, and Carlos had learned awareness of his surroundings very quickly. Even in a chaotic situation like this, and despite his nervousness, it would be very hard (and ill-advised) to sneak up on him.

"So what do you have next, Biology?" Evie asks, leaning against the wall beside him and surveying the crowd. "I wonder if Mr. Kropp likes honey in his tea, or if he drinks it black?"

It's a casual question, and a casual gesture to any outside viewer, but Carlos recognizes the tactic for what it was. Evie knew what classes he had, but her mentioning it was just her way of asking Carlos if he was ok with it, and reminding him of what parts he should play. 'Honey' to play things straight and sweet, trying to keep his head down; but with 'drinking it black,' Evie was giving him permission to bite back if he had to. Carlos nods, his eyes narrowing slightly as he sizes up the space beside Evie.

He signs; bringing his left hand up in a fist shape with his first three fingers folded over his thumb: the sign for the letter 'M'; he touches the back of his hand to his chin before bringing it forward again, opening his hand and wiggling his fingers slightly as he does so.

[Mal]

It was his 'fun' version of signing her name; a combination of the sign for the letter 'M,' and the sign for 'dragon.'

"I don't know where she went," Evie says, picking up on his question. "She disappeared right after Goodness; just said that she had to do something real quick, but she'd be back."

Carlos feels a pang of anxiety and guilt at that; just another example of his ability to screw things up. Now even Mal was leaving because of him. Carlos scowls to cover his feelings, his jaw clenching and hardening his mask.

"Stop that," Evie hisses, poking him between the ribs and causing his mask to falter despite himself. "No one is ditching you; Mal _is_ coming back. Jay's just being an asshole about it, it's not your fault he's not here."

Carlos makes a face at her and sticks out his tongue, but inside he's embarrassed, hating the way she could read him so well. Evie just smiles, flipping him off and laughing when he growls at her.

"Come on," she says, poking him again as the second bell rings. "I'll walk you to class. Even though, as the gentleman, you _should_ be walking me."

Carlos rolls his eyes, but suddenly he's nervous again. Evie loops her arm through his and they start off down the hall, ignoring and being ignored by the remaining Auradon students still in the hallways. He wishes it were Jay with him instead, but then he remembers that he's still mad about the older boy abandoning him, and so he tolerates Evie's presence until they reach the classroom.

"You'll be fine," Evie promises, sensing his discomfort. "Just remember my notes and you won't have any trouble."

Carlos purses his lips and nods again, still hesitating as the final bell rings above them. Evie gives his hand a quick squeeze before leaning in and whispering in his ear.

"Make sure to take some notes as well," she murmurs. "Just in case."

He grins at the dark mischief in her voice, easily reading between the lines and understanding the hidden reference to their plot. Evie winks at him, then turns and jogs off to her Chemistry classroom down the hall. He spots Mal at the end of the hall waiting for her, and when he catches her eye, she offers him an encouraging nod before they both disappear into the room. Carlos draws a steadying breath and turns to face his own classroom, bracing himself for what was to come.

 _'You'll be fine,'_ Evie had told him, and he can't help but remember the first time she'd made that promise to him. He feels like a little kid again, being led into the dragon's den only to be abandoned and left to face the beast alone.

* * *

 _Carlos_

 _"Are you afraid of me, Carlos?"_

Don't move don't move don't breathe not a sound.

 _"Good," the girl said. "You should be."_

* * *

"Ah, our resident deVil has arrived. I trust you know where to find your seat?"

Carlos doesn't miss the way the teacher had pronounced his name; turning the two words into one, but he forces himself to keep a straight face, nodding his head as respectfully as he can as he answers.

"Yes Ssir."

There'd only been the tiniest slip on that one, and Carlos almost feels proud of himself until he makes his way to his seat and realizes that he's the only one at the desk. Then all of his fears come rushing back and it takes every ounce of control to keep his mask in place, to keep his movements smooth and casual as he pulls out his textbook and notes.

"I don't suppose you know where the son of Jafar is hiding himself away, do you?"

"N-no Ssir," Carlos answers lowly, keeping his eyes on his desk to hide his surge of anger. _His name is Jay._

"Really?"

* * *

 _Breathe don't breathe don't think don't move not a sound don't make a sound._

The girl surveyed him coolly, taking in his ripped jeans, the white leather of his jacket, too big for his small frame, which split to black halfway across. The scrapes on his hands and face from crashing into the market stall.

 _"Where did you say you found him, Evie?"_

* * *

"Continuing where we left off yesterday, who can explain the two laws of inheritance?"

Carlos blinks, scanning the pages before him. Evie's writing is neat and precise, summarizing everything perfectly while adding her own (admittedly biased) contributions in the margins. Hands go up around the classroom, and Carlos surveys them out of the corner of his eyes, turning a page in his notebook and adding to Evie's comments with one of his own.

"Mr. de Vil."

* * *

 _Deep breaths deep breaths in out in out don't move._

The other girl started, but strode forward at the mention of her name. "Just off the market square. Leroux and his goons had cornered him. That was kind of…my fault."

 _"Why did you bring him here?"_

* * *

"Why are you here, Mr. de Vil?"

"Ssir?" Carlos curses his trembling voice, but keeps his mask in place as he straightens at his desk, aware of the entire class turning to stare at him.

"In my class," Mr. Kropp clarifies coldly, his eyes narrowing at Carlos' slip. "Clearly, the subject is something you have already mastered, as it appears I'm simply boring you with review."

"N-n-n-no!" Carlos bursts out, wincing slightly as the 'N' sticks on his tongue. He clears his throat a bit and tries again, keeping his voice level despite his anger. "Tha-that's not it, Ssir."

"Isn't it?" Mr. Kropp questions, lifting a brow even as his lips frown. "Then perhaps you could come to the board and complete this diagram?"

He indicates the whiteboard in question, and Carlos sees a blank Punnett Square diagram written on the board; a miniature essay of words written next to it detailing each aspect, with blank spaces to fill in as well. Carlos turns his gaze back to the teacher and feels a sick clenching in his stomach at the hard look on the man's face; equal parts disgust and smug satisfaction.

* * *

 _She's not moving. She's not hurting you…Could be a trap. Not a trap not a trick can't be a trick._

"Leroux," the purple girl said with a growl, disgust twisting her features. "Wait, Carlos? As in, Cruella's son?"

The boy nodded slowly, unsure what she was getting at. She laughed a little, and her threatening demeanor vanished rapidly with her amusement.

 _"You're the runt!"_

* * *

"Explain as you go," Mr. Kropp continues, extending a marker. "Unless that will be too difficult for you, what with your… _stutter_."

* * *

 _Not a runt not a runt not a runt! Show her show her show_ her!

"I'm not a rrrunt," he snapped, straightening and shooting her the most severe glare he could muster. She stopped laughing, her gaze solemn and thoughtful as she peered at him through a curtain of purple.

"So, the puppy's bark isn't worse," she drawled. "You know, you should do that more often."

"Do wha-what?" He growled suspiciously.

 _" **Bite**."_

* * *

"Do your best," the man says, as Carlos accepts the marker from him. Carlos recognizes the dig for what it is, but he feels his lips twitching as he approaches the board and begins the diagram, Evie's voice in his head as though she were explaining it to him all over again.

"Well, Ssir," Carlos says, labeling the boxes carefully as he goes. "If y-your theory is cor-cor-correct, then it would depend on wheth-wheth… it depends if Evil and G-good are dominant, or rece-recessive genes."

He indicates the first diagram, silently reveling in the way Mr. Kropp begins to work his jaw, his eyes flickering beneath his glasses.

"If Evil is recessive, then b-both parents would have to be 'ee' to have an E-evil child. But if one p-p-parent is Ge; say, Good, but a carr-rier of Evil, there's a one in t-t-two chance their child wwill be 'Evil recessive,' and also a one in t-two chance their child will be G-g-good, but with an Evil car-rier."

Carlos can see that some of the students in the class have started taking notes, copying down his chart and the points as he speaks. Even Chad is glaring at the board with grudging concentration, and it gives him an added push of confidence despite the teacher's beginning protests. Carlos takes a breath and smiles just a bit, relaxing as he turns to the board and begins a new diagram.

"Now say that Evil is dominant, and b-both parents are 'EE;' 'Evil dominant,' then yeah, the kids w-will be 'EE' but if one parent is 'Eg,' 'Evil dominant,' but a carrier for the Good gene, then there's a one-in-two chance their kid will _also_ carry the Good gene."

Carlos pauses to add that into the paragraph on the side before continuing. "And if _b-b-both_ parents are 'Eg,' then there's only a one-in- _four_ ch-chance the child will be entirely evil, a one-in- _four_ chance the child will be entirely _g-good_ , and a one-in-two chance the child will also be an E-vil carrier of the G-good gene."

"What happens if one parent is Evil dominant and the other is Good recessive?"

Carlos starts at the question, blinking at the raised hand from the classroom. It's from the pretty Chinese girl who'd explained to Ben what had really happened with the fight…Lonnie, he recalls vaguely. Carlos glances around to notice that he has the entire classroom's attention, everyone eager to see where he was going with this, and he smiles, nodding at the girl like _he_ was the teacher.

"E-e-excellent question, L-lonnie," Carlos replies with another solemn nod. "If there's one 'EE' p-p-parent and one 'gg' p-parent, their child will be 'Eg'."

"And that's all around?" Someone else asks, a girl with auburn hair styled in a pixie cut.

"Y-yes," Carlos confirms, indicating his diagram. "All arrround."

"Ok, but what if both parents are dominant?" The challenge comes from Chad, a slight smirk on the boy's face as he raises his hand. "What if one is Evil dominant, and the other is Good? What then?"

There's a murmur of agreement from the class, but Carlos doesn't let it faze him, instead offering a small smile to Chad in return.

"It's a bit mmore diff-diff…it's tricky when both are d-dominant," Carlos explains, drawing out another new diagram. "But let's just say…if one p-arent is 'EE,' the other wwwould be either 'Good dominant: GG,' or could e-even be 'EG.'"

"Evil _and_ Good dominant carriers?" Chad counters. "How is that thing?"

"L-l-let's call it… 'Mmmorally Am-Ambig-guous," Carlos replies with a slight shrug, earning a laugh from the rest of the class and an embarrassed blush from Chad.

"So that would mean either an all-around ambiguous child with 'EE' and 'GG,'" Lonnie concludes slowly. "Or else a one in two chance for ambiguity with 'EE' and 'EG.'"

"R-right," Carlos confirms happily, grinning as he takes in the class around him, every single one scribbling notes and nodding along.

"So what does that mean for _you?_ " Chad tries again, but there's more confusion in his tone than hostility. "I mean, the chart is great and all, but what about _your_ chances of being Good or Evil?"

"Hon-honestly?" Carlos says, frowning. "I d-don't know. I d-d-don't know what mmy family tr-tree is like to be able to judge."

"But regardless," the auburn haired girl chimes in again with a smile. "I'd say this shows that there's really potential all around for Good or Evil in whichever scenario. It really does come down to the individual."

A shrill ringing cuts off any further response, and Carlos smiles again, a bit more confident as he straightens at the head of the classroom.

"And tha-tha-that's the b-bell!" he calls over the ringing. "I h-hope you all took n-notes!"

He turns to Mr. Kropp, who's almost as red as Carlos' dog tail, and places the marker back down on the teacher's desk. He straightens with a sly grin, and darts back to his own desk, collecting his things quickly and laughing as he notices Lonnie is taking a picture of the whiteboard with her phone.

 _Your move, Sir,_ he thinks, flashing Kropp a challenging grin before sprinting out of the classroom and disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

 **Ok, here's my added note.**

 **I've gotten a lot of suggestions from you guys so far, and I'm loving it! I will definitely keep taking suggestions, but here's what I'm thinking for this story:**

 **Canon Ben/Mal, but with a slight twist/different take than the movie for realism's sake, as well as for the sake of what I've got going with this story.**

 **Platonic/Friendship Carlos/Aziz. Thank you to Seawhimsy321 for the suggestion!**

 **There's potential for these pairings as well, and thank you to Maggie for your suggestion.**

 **Jay/Evie**

 **Evie/Doug**

 **Chad/Carlos**

 **Whether these pairings are platonic or romantic or something else remain to be seen, but I wanted to give you all a heads up. Pairings for this story (at least any involving the VKs) will most likely be more friendship than anything romantic, but I will still be taking suggestions, so be creative!**

 **I look forward to hearing from you!**

 **\- Raven**


	10. I don't mind letting you down

**Hey guys! Sorry this took a little bit longer to update, I had (and still do) a lot planned for this chapter, and I had to make sure everything sounded right, and that I wasn't trying to cram too much into one chapter.**

 **Excuses aside! On to my reviews! (You know what to do)**

* * *

 **Ashley.g: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this story! And thank you for the suggestion, I am still thinking things over, and I appreciate the ideas.**

 **PJoHoOFan: Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot to hear how much people are getting into this, lol! It totally makes sense, and I'm glad you appreciate all the background stuff and think I'm doing it well; world building has always been a challenge for me. But I'm glad you think I got it right, at least so far! In terms of pairings, well, let's just say I have plans…. *cue mischievous smirk* But don't worry, hopefully what I've got planned will make everyone happy.**

 **bookgirl111: Sorry to disappoint, lol. No, Jay and Aziz is not the pairing I was going for, though they will (eventually, maybe) strike up some kind of friendship. There will be a chance for some more Doug/Evie interaction, and as for Chad and Carlos, well, we'll just have to see where things go. ;) Hopefully you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: Haha, aw, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad you love this story so much, and that I've managed to affect you so much. You have reviewed some of my chapters before, but it was good to hear from you again! Not gonna lie, Carlos is definitely my favorite too. (Can you tell yet?) I was scolded by another reviewer for focusing on him too much, as it turns out, haha, so I've been working on showcasing the others a bit more. ;) Things will definitely be angsty for a while, but a resolution is coming, I promise! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Tiredandlazy: Hey! Haha, honestly, I enjoy your reviews either way, hot mess or no, lol! (and so it begins…) I'm glad you like my dialogue, because I always struggle with conversations (in writing, and real life…especially real life…) so a majority of the time, if I'm hung up on something in a chapter, it's most likely just a conversation that is holding up the whole thing. (That may or may not have happened with this chapter…anyway!) I hope you found Aziz, even if it is just the new actor playing him and not the original Descendants actor, and I'm glad you like the idea of him and Carlos as friends. I'll be cultivating that soon, I think. Um, I don't think I've ever written amiright before, haha. I have a friend who says it a lot though, if that counts for anything? No? K. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

 **dancergymnast2003: Thanks so much for the review and the constructive criticisms. Hearing that, I looked back and I realized you're right, I do kind of skip over Mal and Evie a bit, so I will definitely be working on incorporating all of the VKs and the other characters as well. As for pairings, I'm leaning towards Doug/Evie, with some elements of Jay/Evie thrown in, but we'll see how it goes. I might not have pairings at all, so we'll see. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Shots and Giggles: You did catch that? Neat to find another fan of their music. I'm not a super fan, but I definitely enjoy MCR, as well as anything 80s, and bands like P!atD, TOP, relient k, Anberlin, Mumford and Sons, Skillet and Paramore, to name a few. (I know, quite the mash up of tastes, lol!) I'm glad you're enjoying this story, and that you think I'm portraying everything just right. It was part of my hesitation to throw romance into there right away like Disney tends to do, because there does need to be development and adjustments first. Which there will be, so hopefully you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Alex-pecto patro: Welcome to this story, thank you for leaving a review! Don't worry, I'm not looking to pursue anything romantic with Chad and Carlos, but a reader left a review that inspired me to pursue something with them, so I will be exploring them, but definitely not a romance thing! I'm still exploring all the relationships, but hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guest1: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and for the suggestions with pairings. Whatever I decide, I definitely won't be rushing anything. :) I hope you keep reading and enjoying.**

 **Ellen: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you like this story so much. I wasn't thinking of anything romantic for Jay and Aziz, just a sort of friendship thing, though it would be interesting, I'll say that, lol. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Kalliz89: Welcome to this story and thank you for the review! I'm glad you like this story so much. Hopefully this update is soon enough for you! :)**

 **Yoyo: I definitely plan on having them all meet during Family Day, though I might have some other meetings before then. We'll see how it goes! I hope you'll continue to enjoy this story.**

 **hnjp1234: Hi, thanks for the review! I agree, it is kind of weird seeing the four paired together, but I've also seen some really good fics pairing them together where it works (at least Jay and Evie). But I don't think I'll be doing that for this story as I definitely have them all family here! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **starflight34: Thank you so much! I will certainly do my best! :)**

 **Kris68: That's ok, lol! Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're so obsessed with this fic! I think you're the second person to say that I focus a bit too much on Carlos, or Carlos and Jay, so I will definitely be taking the suggestions to heart and working on the others a bit more too. ;) I hope you keep reading!**

 **TearOfAngles: Hi, welcome to the story, and thanks for leaving a review! It's funny you mention it, because I recently discovered the ship that is Ben/Carlos, and I have to say, I'm kind of maybe a little bit in love with it. Haha, not for this story though, sadly. But I think that if done right, it really works. Thanks for the suggestions, and I will definitely be keeping up with it. I hope you will keep reading and enjoying!**

 **Delta Orchid: I'm sorry! I hope you can forgive me this grueling wait for the newest chapter! I promise the next one won't be as long in coming. :)**

 **Nik137nvty: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, I had a lot of fun writing that scene! ;) Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111:** **Yay, I'm glad you're not sick anymore and that you enjoyed the chapter! You're right, the canon is Carlos and Jane, and I found out in the midst of my various research that Carlos and Jane are both actually 14, and so what I thought was an age change for this story is actually acurate, lol! Not sure yet if I'll pair them together, but there will definitely be some relationship there.**

 **Not sure about Carlos and Lonnie, but it's an interesting idea and I appreciate the suggestion! As for Aziz, well, his dad is Aladdin, what can I say? ;)**

 **There will be a resolution for the VKs, don't worry! It just might take some time since they're all pretty stubborn.**

 **GenderqueerWriter: Wow, I'm impressed and flattered at your obsession with this story! Haha, thank you! :)**

 **I've never given a thought to polygamous/polyamorous relationship before, though I am aware of at least one poly-ship within this fandom so far. (At least I've only seen one so far) It's not something I think I could see myself taking part of, at least for this story. And, I've always been a believer in monogamy, personally. (Gay relationships, sure, but polygamy...) Sorry if I've offended or dissapointed! But I do appreciate the suggestion! :)**

 **As for your other suggestions, I'm definitely a fan of Doug/Evie as well, though it would definitely be slow going, especially for what I have planned with this story, but I do think Doug is a good choice for Evie, especially since he can also show her that other things matter than looks/money/position, etc. just by being himself.**

 **And Carlos definitely needs a friend outside of the gang, and even though Aziz is kind of similar to Jay, I feel like Aziz would be the kind of person to really challenge Carlos. And on the flip side, Carlos will be a challenge for Aziz, as well. So there's a balance there.**

 **As for Carlos and Jane, I'll definitely be playing around with it, though at this point, I don't see them as anything more than good friends, and it's because they're so similar and understand each other. If that makes any sense, lol!**

 **I'm glad you enjoy this story so much and I hope you will continue to enjoy all that I have in store! :)**

* * *

 **Author's Notes!**

 **I'mma say right off the bat, this chapter is the worst (so far) for language. No joke, I kind of just let loose (or rather, the characters did…) so this chapter definitely earns that High T for language! You have been warned, so I do not want to see any angry mobs forming! (Please)**

 **That aside, this chapter also contains a tiny bit more angst, as well as slight bullying and child abuse. Nothing explicit/graphic, but the abuse is still there and still intense, so be warned. This chapter is also a good bit longer for you, so hopefully you'll enjoy and it'll tide you over until next time.**

 **Ok, enough out of me, I'll leave you to it!**

 **Hope you all enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think. :)**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Mal

Mal can count on one hand the number of times she'd had to apologize to someone. It had been four times, and only one of those times had she been sincere. The thought of doing something like that again -of being so open and vulnerable- makes Mal's skin itch. She draws a deep breath and lets it out in a slow hiss, counting each beat in an attempt to remain calm.

It isn't just the apologizing that irritates her; it's that she was apologizing to _Jay._ Jay, the self-satisfied, smug bastard that he was (and, Mal reasons with a vindictive glee, it isn't insulting if it's the truth); who constantly argued and questioned her leadership. Jay, who had _one job_ , and hadn't even managed that much; who had left, just to throw a tantrum and emphasize his point.

Well, Mal was done with his shit. It was time for her to emphasize _her_ point. She grins in anticipation, shifting her weight enough that she could observe the hallway beyond from the alcove she was tucked in. There's not as many students in the hall now, most of them already in their classes, like the good little boys and girls that they were. Mal rolls her eyes at the thought. She couldn't wait to show _them_ , either.

A familiar silhouette makes its way down the hall towards her, and Mal debates on revealing herself, or remaining hidden. She still isn't sure how to feel about him, but as Ben nears her hiding spot, she can see the tight look on his face; the frown that he's clearly trying to hide judging by the quick smiles he flashes at the few students who notice his presence and greet him. Mal decides to play it safe and ducks further into her alcove, holding her breath as he passes her just to be sure she remains unnoticed.

Ben doesn't even look up, just keeps walking, his frown deepening once eyes are no longer on him. Mal waits until she can no longer hear his footsteps to relax, releasing her pent up breath and shifting her weight to loosen her body. She knows she needs to focus on her own goal, but at the same time, she can't help but wonder what had the Crown Prince of Auradon so upset.

"Probably just found out he won't be getting that third castle he wanted," Mal mutters to herself, amused at the thought.

Her amusement is cut short as she hears another set of footsteps begin to approach; a short, deliberate shuffle to the movement that she recognizes as anger. She also recognizes the footsteps, and the anger is made even more apparent by the whispered cursing she can hear as they get closer. Mal tenses in anticipation and draws a steadying breath as Jay draws closer, but he, too, doesn't look up. She waits until he's almost completely past her before making her move; springing forward silently and grabbing his arm, using his forward momentum against him to swing him back around and into the darkened alcove.

She had counted on there being a bit of a struggle. She hadn't counted on Jay completely turning the table on her. Instead of continuing momentum and allowing himself to be dragged, Jay stops dead; twisting his arm back around hers and spinning them both, grabbing Mal as he did so and slamming her into the wall.

Instinct takes over, blocking out the rational part of her that wants to cry out; to tell him to stop; that it's only her. Crying out like that now would only be a weakness, not an asset in this fight. And, if she's being completely honest (something that is encouraged here, and especially by Fairy Godmother), Mal really, _really_ wants to fight.

She grits her jaw against any further cries that might escape, and jabs her elbow back, angling her thrust to catch him in the face. He throws up his arm and blocks her attack easily, grabbing her own arm and pulling back hard, kicking her leg out from under her and practically throwing her to the ground. Mal grunts once as the air is forcefully evicted from her lungs, rolling to the side to avoid the incoming punch to her face. She's on her feet in the next breath, but doesn't dodge in time, and catches his follow up kick in her side.

It's not hard enough to break, but she knows for a fact it's going to bruise. Mal grimaces, but reacts despite the pain, bringing her arm around his leg and trapping it to her side; lashing out with a sharp blow to his hip. Jay goes down with a hissed: "Mother _fuck!_ " and Mal grins smugly, rocking her weight on her heels as she waits for him to clamber back up.

He isn't playing games anymore, but neither is she. Jay lashes out with a controlled jab to her face, and Mal dodges this time, stepping to the outside of his thrust and retaliating with a punch of her own. She feels it in her wrist when she connects with his jaw, and she sucks a sharp breath as she dances away, shaking out her hand and ignoring Jay's next swear. He's angry now, and that's to her advantage as he rushes his next attack, swinging too wide with his punch and allowing Mal to snap two quick punches at his exposed abdomen.

Jay growls his frustration and kicks out, his long limbs working for his favor this time and catching Mal in the stomach. She doubles over, and opens herself up for another blow, which connects solidly with her back and slams her down to the ground once more.

"Shit," Mal hisses, wincing as her head strikes the tile, causing lights to flash behind her eyes.

"Son of a… _Mal!?"_ She hears Jay hiss from above her, and she blinks against her hazy vision, pushing herself up onto her knees.

"Took you long enough, asshole," Mal mutters, rolling her shoulders and grunting at the dull throb that echoes in her spine.

"Fucking hell, Mal, what were you even thinking?" Jay snaps fiercely, jerking her the rest of the way to her feet and shoving her further into the alcove.

"You're a real piece of shit, you know that?" Mal retorts, straightening despite the pain and glaring at him, her eyes flashing violently.

"I'm the shit?" Jay repeats, radiating anger as he stalks forward. "You _fucking_ b-"

"Finish that sentence," Mal snarls, ducking under his thrown punch and striking him hard in the side. "Go on…see how well it works out for you."

"The hell are you doing, Mal?" Jay bites out through gritted teeth, and Mal almost grins again in the knowledge that she had the upper hand in this situation. But she forces the vindictive side of her down, remembering Evie's words; the warning the other girl had given.

"I'm apologizing," Mal states flatly, crossing her arms in an attempt to physically contain herself from hitting him again.

Jay lets out a sharp bark of laughter, punctuating the bitter sound with a vicious blow to the locker behind him. "This is what you call apologizing?"

"I would if you'd let me," Mal snaps back.

"Yeah, I can tell you're really apologetic," Jay replies sarcastically. "I don't know if it's the glowing eyes, or the smoke, but I can just _feel_ your sincerity."

Mal blinks, feeling the slight ache behind her eyes that confirms that they are, in fact, glowing. They hadn't stung like that when glowing since she'd been a child, however, back when she was first learning about her magic. But _smoke_? She glances down and realizes that her fingers are twitching at her sides, and there's definitely a soft spark forming in her palms.

"Just cut the crap, Mal," Jay grumbles, slipping past her and making for the door.

Mal growls, clenching her hands into fists around the sparks and darting forward, kicking at the back of Jay's knee and causing him to buckle.

"You cut the crap," she retorts, standing her ground as he leaps to his feet and turns on her. "You ever stop to think that maybe, you _don't_ know everything?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" he bites out harshly, but Mal refuses to react to his tone.

"It means that I might actually have feelings," Mal responds sharply, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to diminish their glow. "That I might actually be sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Jay counters lowly, his own hands clenching into fists. "Kicking me out of my own room? Taking over everything like you always do? For accusing _me_ of not caring?"

Mal works her jaw against the surge of emotion in her chest, the words that she can feel building up in her throat. She forces them down, switching gears and crossing her arms, leaning back to stare up at him as she responds:

"I was actually going to apologize for that last hit. I'm pretty sure I heard something crack, though that could have just been my hand…"

She trails off with a slight laugh, but Jay scowls fiercely, making a disgusted noise in his throat as he shoves her against the lockers. His face twists, and she braces herself for another hit, but Jay shakes his head instead, backing away and turning back for the door.

 _Shit_ , Mal curses herself. _Wrong_ _move_ , very _wrong move!_

"Damn it, Jay," she calls after him, and he stops, his back to her and fists clenched tightly at his side. "I just…I wasn't…" Fuck it all, why was this so _hard_?

"You just don't get it, do you?" he says quietly, his voice low and bitter.

"No, I really don't," Mal says with an exasperated sigh. "You know I'm not good with this sort of thing, but I…"

"I wasn't talking about that," Jay snaps, cutting her off.

"Are…are you still on this?" Mal groans, rolling her eyes at his back. "Look, I get it, you were here first and now I'm taking over and screwing everything up."

"Oh, so you do get that much, at least," Jay mutters, whipping around to face her, that hard look still on his face.

"Jay…"

"It was fine!" Jay snaps, his voice almost at shouting level. "It was all fine when it was just me taking care of me; it was what I was good at, it was how I _survived_. And then it was me and Evie…then Evie and you- and then she found Carlos and suddenly it was me and _us._ "

He pauses then, but Mal doesn't interrupt, remaining silent as she watches him pace a short line. Her eyes had finally stopped glowing, but she could still feel sparks twitching between her fingers. She forces herself to focus on Jay, who draws a shaky breath before continuing.

"Then it was us," he repeats in an undertone. "And I had to survive for us, had to care about more than just me _._ And I did!" he shoots a quick glare in Mal's direction. "You didn't think I did, but I _did_."

"I never thought…" Mal starts to protest, but Jay shakes his head sharply, not giving her the chance.

"I was the one who cared," Jay says flatly, his hands unclenching slowly. "You…you were just Maleficent's daughter."

He might as well have struck her. Mal almost wishes he had; at least that pain she could have managed, could have hidden or ignored, at least for a little while. The blow that his words give is like a punch to whatever soul she may or may not actually possess.

"You're right," she chokes out instead, her expression blank; but inside she's doubled over and screaming. "You do care, and you do a hell of a better job showing it than I do."

Jay scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Understatement," he mutters.

It's not much, but it's enough for Mal to find her anger again. She straightens, her eyes flickering green, and even without the sparks she's an intimidating sight.

"You are wrong, though," Mal continues firmly. "To say that I _don't_ care. That I _never_ cared."

"Ha, is that what you called what you did last night? That's what you call caring?"

"I was there," Mal snarls viciously. "I might be shitty with feelings, but at least I was there when I was needed."

"And what do you think I was doing?" Jay retorts. "Just fucking around, as usual?"

"I don't know, and really, it doesn't matter."

"Mm-hm, definitely see the caring now."

"What matters is that we're _both_ where we need to be," Mal replies stiffly, ignoring his sarcasm. "So this thing between us can just stay that way, alright?"

"I take it that was your apology?" Jay asks, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, fine, I'm sorry," Mal says shortly. "Happy?"

"No, not really," he says, his voice pitching slightly with irritation. "You'll say you're sorry, we'll go back to the others and what?" he shrugs, spreading his hands. "You're still just going to focus on the wand, so yeah, what does it really matter?"

"You think I'd be making myself weak like this if it didn't matter?" Mal retorts, but it's nowhere near as sharp as she wants it to be because her throat closes up on her for some reason. "I could have easily just said, 'fuck Jay' and pretended like you didn't exist for however long we're here for."

She pauses to draw a breath, ignoring the way it makes her stomach ache where he had kicked her.

"I could have done that," she says, steadier than before. "But I didn't. I'm here, trying to make some kind of peace because I _care_ about what happens to this team. It's _always_ been about this team for me."

"Now who sounds like the fairytale?" Jay mutters, but his tone is a fraction lighter, and that cocky smirk is twitching at the corner of his lips. "Mal is actually apologizing, I mean, how am I supposed to respond to that?"

"You respond by saying you accept my apology, and promising to get your shit together and get back where you belong," Mal says, letting out a short breath of relief that sounds too much like a sob for her liking.

"Wait, how am I the one who has to get my shit together?" Jay retorts, but he's almost laughing now, and Mal feels a stronger surge of relief for a brief moment until he continues. "And anyway, I don't think I heard a sincere apology."

"No, but I was extremely sincere with my punches," she fires back hastily. "Does that count?"

He laughs then, rubbing at his jaw. "Not for much, but I could definitely tell," he grumbles.

"So could I," Mal says, finally relaxing fully and allowing herself to really take stock of just where everything hurt.

The bell rings in the hall beyond, and they tense, sharing a panicked look that almost immediately dissolves into hushed laughter.

"To think," Mal mutters under her breath as the hall fills with students once more. "That there'd be a time where we actually worried about missing class."

"Or that we'd have a class we cared to miss," Jay adds with another short laugh. "We should probably join the throng, though."

"Yeah," Mal agrees ruefully, scanning the crowd once before slipping easily into the masses. She feels Jay behind her, and pauses in her stride to allow him to catch up.

"I really am sorry, Jay," she says quietly, when he's next to her again. "And I do care, about all of us."

"Yeah, I know," he answers, just as quiet. "Me too. That thing I said about...I can be a dick sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Mal replies with a soft laugh, but there's still a sour taste in her mouth; a pang in her nonexistent soul at the mention of his insult.

Jay scoffs in protest, shoving her with his shoulder and causing her to trip, which makes the students nearby stumble as they rush to get out her way. Mal winces, but recovers smoothly, straightening and giving him a signature, green eyed glare.

"Seriously though," Jay says. "Which class did I miss, because I'm pretty sure I just heard some kid say 'Carlos' a second ago."

"Biology," Mal surmises with a scowl. "He can take care of himself. I know he can. But that teacher…"

"Careful Mal, you're sparking again," Jay says, and she thinks he's teasing until she glances down.

"Fucking…" she trails off as she snaps her hands shut, the sparks dying as easily as they had come.

"Maybe you should skip your next class, too," Jay suggests. "If you're going to start torching everything."

"Carlos is the pyro, not me," Mal snaps back with a smirk. "And anyway, skipping wouldn't be very good of me, now would it?"

"No, not really," Jay agrees. "But I mean, we've done it so far…"

"I don't want to face Evie's wrath any more than I already have to," Mal grumbles, though she secretly wishes she could skip again. She wasn't looking forward to _that_ confrontation nearly as much.

"He's going to be really pissed at me, isn't he?" Jay murmurs, and Mal glances over to see him frowning at the ground, his brows furrowed in worry.

"I doubt it," Mal finds herself trying to reassure him, but she can tell from the look he gives her that he hadn't bought the lie either. Carlos wasn't known for forgiving easily, despite his saying otherwise.

They stop at the center intersection of classrooms and stand by the map as the second bell rings. The flow of students dies down again, and Mal turns and eyes the map to find her next class.

"Right, might as well face the music," she sighs.

"What are the odds the armor can tell you where people are, too?" Jay mutters, glaring at the knight across from them.

"Can't hurt to try," Mal says with a shrug, dancing a bit on the balls of her feet as she braces herself to start running.

"Hey there," Jay says to the knight, sliding over and leaning against the tin suit. "Any chance you know where I can find Carlos de Vil?"

The knight raises its chin in acknowledgement, but remains silent for a moment before its visor lifts and its hollow voice rings out: "The young de Vil is currently located in the library…on the third floor."

"Wait, isn't the library on the second floor?" Jay questions, and the knight takes another moment before answering.

"The Auradon Prep library spans five floors, and is accessible by both stairway and elevator. I would recommend taking the elevator to reach the young de Vil in the timeliest manner."

"Well ok then," Jay replies, a bit taken aback. "Thanks, I guess."

The knight's visor slams shut without another word, and Mal smirks at Jay's mystified expression before jumping as the final warning bell rings above them.

"Shit," she hisses, grimacing at the realization that she might just miss another class after all.

"Go," Jay says, nodding his head at her. "I've got Carlos, and…and we'll figure it out as we go?"

"Yeah," she agrees, nodding back. She takes off down the hallway and hears him do the same behind her; jogging off in the opposite direction towards the nearest elevator.

"Apology accepted, by the way," she hears him call to her as he goes. "Just thought I'd make it official."

"Asshole," Mal mutters under her breath in response, but she can't help the small smile that slips onto her face, regardless.

At least it was settled, anyway. Though Mal would make sure she never had to apologize to anyone again.

* * *

Ben

Ben didn't know which feeling was worse; his guilt or his sense of betrayal. The betrayal was certainly winning out at the moment, and he's almost grateful for the sudden appearance of Doug, who rushes up to him with a worried look on his face.

"What's up Doug?" Ben asks, slipping a smile onto his own face and stopping to meet the other boy.

"I was just wondering…if you had seen…one of my books," Doug says, doubling over and huffing out short spurts of air.

"You'll have to be more specific," Ben replies with a chuckle, relief flooding him at this new distraction.

"It's dark blue with vines etched around it," the other boy describes, holding up his hands to indicate the size. "It's my 'Theoretical Potions and Supplements' book, I can't find it anywhere!"

"Calm down," Ben instructs calmly, placing a hand on Doug's shoulder and bringing him upright again. "Take a deep breath."

He waits until the boy is calmer before continuing. "Where did you last have it?"

"I-In my room," Doug manages shakily, adjusting his glasses. "At least, it was the last time I checked."

Ben blinks, caught off guard. He can't help but think that this situation is vaguely familiar, but he doesn't want to jump to any conclusions. "I'll see what I can find out, Doug," he assures with a smile. "But in the meantime, keep retracing your steps, ok?"

"Yeah, ok," Doug agrees, nodding a few times before smiling back. "Thanks Ben."

"No problem," Ben replies easily, seeing Doug off before turning and heading back the way he'd come.

There's no one else in the hallway to distract him as he walks now, and Ben can't help but drift back to his conversation with his parents.

* * *

 _"Is it true that the Isle only gets our garbage?"_

The silence that his question brings lasts too long, confirming his fears before his parents even begin their protests.

"What makes you ask that?" comes from his father, while his mother takes a second longer.

"Is everything alright, Ben?"

"No, it's not alright!" he snaps, grimacing as he attempts to reign in his anger. "I'm sorry," he murmurs. "I just wanted to know if it's true."

"Well of course it isn't," his Dad blusters on. "They might be villains, but we aren't entirely uncivilized."

"It's just, one of the things I noticed about the Four is that they don't really do food well."

"Translation of 'do food,'" his mother murmurs, and he can tell from her tone that she's trying to relieve the tension.

"It's like they've never had it before," Ben replies, deciding it's best to be blunt. "They were worried yesterday at lunch that they'd get in trouble for eating if no one told them to, and then the way they ate…like they were afraid they'd never eat again."

"I…I see," his mother says softly, her voice breaking.

"And you think this means we're feeding them garbage?" his father's voice is also soft, but Ben can feel the growl behind the words.

"I asked Doug what he thought," Ben answers honestly, but firmly, refusing to back down. "Because I thought it was a bit of a surprise, but he wasn't surprised at all…he said it was probably due to the fact that the Isle only received our leftovers."

"Well," his mother begins lightly. "I can tell it's really upsetting you, because you start talking formally whenever you're trying to control yourself."

"Mom," Ben says shortly, and she sighs.

"Alright, I'll stop trying to lighten things up," she replies. "But Ben, I don't know where the idea of garbage came from. Yes, we do send the Isle our leftovers, but just that; leftovers."

"But then…I mean, why would…?"

"We don't really keep track of it all though," his father says slowly, and Ben grips his phone a little tighter. "There's two main barges: the food drop off, and then the drop off for any old, used or broken materials."

"Ok," Ben says hesitantly. This was all new to him, and he didn't want to miss a detail. "What sort of materials?"

"Well, anything, really," his father answers, and Ben can hear the slight scoff that tells him his Dad didn't think this was as important as Ben did. "Fabric that was discolored or ripped; faded leather; any technology unused in the past few years, broken furniture; that sort of thing."

"And the food?" Ben asks quietly. "How often do we send food over?"

He hears a slow intake of breath on the other line, that soft sucking sound his Dad does when he's 'thinking.'

"Dad," Ben prods. "When does the food barge go out?"

"It's a monthly system," his mother answers him, her voice low.

" _Monthly_?" Ben repeats sharply, then winces, biting his tongue to keep future outbursts to himself.

"Yes, monthly," his father's voice is stern, and Ben bites his tongue a little harder. "We collect the majority of non-perishable items from the leftovers at the school, as well as any 'donations' we receive from the kingdom."

"Define 'majority,'" Ben manages jerkily. "And 'donations,' while we're at it."

"Ben," his mother cautions, but his father is already defining, however loosely.

"We gather anything the kingdom decides to give up: things that break or are otherwise dysfunctional, and if they choose to, it goes to the Isle. As for the food, it's not so refined; we try for cans, mostly, since glass containers can be turned into weapons, if they survive the journey over."

"And what else besides cans?" Ben asks, trying for calm. "What other 'non-perishables' do they get? And, you said 'majority,' but clearly somethings are slipping through cracks."

"Like I said," his father says with a sigh. "It's not a refined system. We do what we can, but really, it wouldn't surprise me if there were slips."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Ben snaps, abandoning reigning himself in. "They really could be eating garbage then, for all you know!"

It hits him before his father even says it, and it's enough to make Ben physically sick.

"They're _villains_ , Ben. It's what they are on that Island for; it's what they deserve."

* * *

Nearing the dorms, Ben is reminded once again of just why he'd felt so guilty, as he spies the staircase that led to rooms 13 and 17. This was what he was part of; what he had been a part of for so long, without even knowing it. He was surrounded by people who thought that very same way; that those on the Isle were evil and just getting what they deserved. But he knew that wasn't true; he could _see_ it wasn't true in the four that he had now. Well, he could sort of see it. That thing with the knife though…

Ben grimaces, shaking his head as he climbs the opposite staircase to the dorm beyond. He would make this work; he'd prove them all wrong. They would see…hopefully. But for now, he had to focus on finding Doug's book. He straightens as he reaches the door he had been looking for, the number 40 marking the wood, drawing a steadying breath before knocking.

"It's open!"

Ben turns the handle, but the door doesn't budge, and he frowns, knocking again.

"I said...damn it!"

"Um, excuse me?" Ben calls back, a bewildered laugh escaping him.

"No, not you…hang on… _shit_!"

Ben blinks, backing away as the door jars in its frame before swinging open, revealing a haggard looking Aziz, his curls hanging half in his face as he leans against the door.

"Sorry," Aziz says sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair and sweeping it off to one side. "Come in."

"Sure," Ben replies slowly, stepping over the fallen lamp in the entryway.

"What can I help you with today, Your Majesty?" Aziz asks with a grin, while Ben stops just inside the door, frozen in shock.

The room is, the put it simply, a mess. Books are pulled off the shelves lining the walls, the drawers in the back dresser pulled out or overturned onto the floors. And then there's the bed; the mattress pulled from the frame and sheets yanked haphazardly from the surface.

"Is everything ok Aziz?" Ben questions back, eyeing the room again before turning back to the other boy, whose smile falters a bit before resuming.

"Oh, this?" Aziz says with a laugh that Ben instantly recognizes as fake. "Nothing; thought I'd do some redecorating."

"You graduate this year," Ben reminds him, lifting a brow.

"Yeah," Aziz agrees, his eyes flickering. "What better time?"

"Aziz…"

"So, what did you need, Ben?" the other boy cuts in, rubbing his hands together in a gesture of glee. "It's gotta be something big, right?"

And that's how Ben really knows something's wrong. Aziz _never_ called him by his name; even when they were younger, it was always some kind of 'royal' nickname. He'd been 'Young Prince' for all of last year, and had graduated to variations editions of 'Your Highness' all through this year; his coronation year.

"Not too big," Ben says, deciding to play along, at least for now. "Doug can't find one of his books, and I was just wondering…gosh, that sounds awful."

"No, go on please," Aziz replies, indicating with his hand for Ben to continue. "We were just getting to the part where you beat around the bush to avoid asking if I had anything to do with its disappearance."

"Aziz," Ben says shortly, frowning at the other boy.

"Sorry, too much? Too much." Aziz chuckles quietly, but Ben can see his eyes roaming around the bedroom, taking stock of everything in it.

"What is it?" Ben asks, and the other boy starts, glancing up at him in surprise. "What's bugging you?"

"Nothing," Aziz answers hastily, turning his gaze back to his destroyed room. "I can't find the lighter Dad sent me…stupid, really." He shakes his head and tries for another smile. "I'm always losing stuff, it's why he didn't want to send it at first."

Ben can feel how much the lighter means to the other boy, and he's about to offer a condolence when it suddenly occurs to him.

"Wait, Aziz," he says hesitantly. "You don't smoke?" His confusion turns his words into a question, and seems to amuse Aziz, as his smile turns a bit more genuine.

"Sure I don't," he agrees amiably, nodding at Ben.

"But...you don't smoke on school grounds, though. Right?" Ben has to ask.

Aziz's smile widens, turning mischievous as he brings a finger up to his lips. "Sshh," he hisses in response, and Ben shakes his head in wonder.

"Aziz…"

"Anyway," Aziz says, cutting short any attempt Ben might have made to scold the other boy. "You didn't come to me about a missing lighter, you came about a missing book, which I know nothing about."

"Yeah, but about the lighter…." Ben tries again.

"Mm, the one no longer in my possession," the other boy insists. "I do not currently have it, and until I find it… _technically_ speaking, of course…it would be unfair to punish me for a crime I have not yet committed. Technically."

"I…just…just tell me what you know about Doug's book," Ben sighs in resignation, running his hands down his face.

"Well, I don't have it, if that helps," Aziz replies easily, slowly moving to reorganize his room. "I don't think…I borrowed a few things from people, so, it might be here."

"Also going to need to talk about the borrowing," Ben mutters, picking up the fallen lamp before moving to pull the bed back into place.

"What," Aziz protests with a laugh. "I give it back."

Ben shoots him a look, which Aziz shakes off with a shrug. "Most of the time. Half the time, I honestly forget I even borrowed stuff."

Ben sighs, and moves to the bookshelf, glancing at each title before shoving them onto the shelf. Aziz stuffs the last of the mess into the closet and stands, offering Ben a hand and helping him up.

"Any luck?" he asks, and Ben shakes his head.

"No," he replies slowly. "Look's like Doug's 'Theoretical Potions and Supplements' book is going to be harder to find."

"Really?" Aziz scoffs, lifting a brow skeptically. "Potions and Supplements? What, is he planning on brewing something?"

"Magic and stuff like that interests him," Ben defends. "And anyway…"

"Wait," Aziz interrupts, holding up a hand and frowning. "It's a potion book? Like, with ingredients and actual stuff like that?"

"I mean, it's only theory, but, yeah. Why?"

"Remember the lab? Doug might not be planning on brewing anything…but someone else is."

* * *

 _Jay_

Jay didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see home. He knew he didn't have any right to call it that; it wasn't his home, it was his Dad's. But still, the run down, one story building was a welcome sight to the boy, and he eagerly scrambled over the half-broken wall that served as the back entrance to the building. His feet touched down on threadbare rug, and he let out a short sigh of relief. He was home. He was safe- from Maleficent, at least. The boy shuddered at the thought of the dragon woman, and her threat that still rang in his ears.

"Jayden!"

 _Shit._

"Just got in, Dad," he called back, wincing as the front door slammed, the wood echoing dully in the frame.

"Well what are you doing in the house?" his father grumbled from the other room. "Come into the shop."

To the untrained observer, Jafar's voice would sound disgruntled, or perhaps mildly amused at his son's presence. But Jay was not untrained, and he was able to recognize the words, and the tone for what it is. It's a threat, a warning and a command all at once, and Jay shivered again as he padded obediently into the front of the house which served as the shop.

The only divider was the red silk curtain strung up in the doorway, the bottom shredded and stained with what Jay always thought was blood, despite his father's insistence that it was ink. Valuable things like silk wouldn't have been shipped to the Isle if it weren't damaged in some way, and the shredded hem and stain was clearly damage. As were most of the items in the shop. Shelves lined all four walls, although several cases were missing panels; every available surface filled with various goods.

Anything from clothes, to food to furniture, Jafar's shop was the place to look first. There were a small handful of shops on the Isle, but only Jafar's was so well stocked. It was one of Jay's talents he took pride in, as he eyed the array of lamps on one shelf. He was the real reason the shop was running so well, not his Dad's sales techniques. Speaking of….

Jafar stood at the far end of the shop, his back to Jay as he surveyed one of the bookshelves that contained weapons. The top half had been hollowed out, the shelves otherwise in use, so that longer items, such as swords or bows, could hang from pegs hammered into the wood. But Jafar was eyeing the smaller shelf, just below the swords; the one that usually stocked knives and poisons, and Jay suddenly realized why he'd been called in.

 _Fuck_ , the boy thought frantically. He was dead. So, so _dead_.

"Jay," his Dad drawled again, once he was fully in the room. "Remind me again, how many knives I've sold this week."

Despite the question clearly being rhetorical, Jay still paused a moment to think, desperately racking his brains for anything to save him. There had been two customers who'd been _interested_ in buying a knife, but the number of people who'd actually bought a knife…

"None," Jay managed shakily, fidgeting anxiously with the knife tucked securely in the back of his pants.

"What was that?" his Dad murmured, cupping an ear, his eyes glinting darkly as he turned to face Jay with a smile. "Sorry, old age has way of playing tricks on you."

"You're not that old," Jay mumbled obligingly.

"The knife, Jay," his Dad snapped, dangerous suddenly as his smile became a scowl, his shining just a bit more. "Did I sell any this week?"

"No," Jay answered timidly, but then quickly straightened, forcing himself to meet his Dad's gaze. "No one bought a knife this week," he said. If there was anything Jafar hated, aside from Jay, of course, it was weakness. Jay wasn't weak, even if he was terrified.

"Not a single one?" his Dad repeated, and Jay nodded slowly, his grip on the knife tightening. "Then I must have simply…misplaced one, is that what you mean to say?"

"No," Jay denied quietly. "I didn't say that."

A brow lifted on Jafar's face, but it was anything but confusion. Jay swallowed hard, refusing to break eye contact as his Dad took a slow step toward him.

"But, if I didn't sell it, and it wasn't misplaced, then…the only other option is that it was stolen. Is _that_ what you're trying to tell me, Jay?"

Jay noted the stress of his Dad's choice of words; the way his voice pitched slightly in innocence. He was trying to give Jay a way out, but he recognized the manipulation for what it was, and he grit his jaw and ignored the little boy inside; the one that wanted to confess and cry, beg for forgiveness- for mercy. Mercy was for the weak, and Jay wasn't weak. Not anymore.

"Jay?" his Dad asked again, his voice just a little tighter. "Is that what you're telling me; my knife was stolen?"

"Yes."

He watched the flicker of surprise that passed through his Dad's eyes; but only his eyes, and only for a second. He was, after all, a master of masks.

"And, do you know _who_ stole my knife, Jayden?"

Jay nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact. He didn't trust his voice, didn't trust himself why was he doing this why? He forced his panicked thoughts aside, gripping the knife until he was sure the hilt would leave an imprint on his skin. If this failed, his Dad was going to kill him. He was going to kill him this wasn't how it was supposed to _go!_

His Dad caught the significance behind his gaze, and his face twisted sharply in anger before transforming again, becoming a mocking impression of grief.

"I'm disappointed in you, son," he said softly, and Jay flinched in spite of himself.

He was _never_ 'son.' Either 'Jay' or 'Jayden' or sometimes, strangely, 'brother.' But 'son'…'son' meant….

"Stealing, I have taught you, true. But to think that you would turn on _me_ ," his Dad let out a quiet, self-depreciating laugh that was betrayed by the dark look in his eyes. "Clearly I've gone wrong somewhere."

His hands moved all while he spoke, slowly untying the thick coil of leather from his belt, and Jay stiffened at the sight of it. He could feel a tremor begin to overtake his body and he shifted his weight in an attempt to hide it. He wasn't weak. He would never be weak again, never beg again. Never feel….

"Put it back, Jay," his Dad continued in that grieved tone, his eyes sharp. "Now, son."

"I don't have it," Jay choked on the words, his own eyes glued to the whip that curled around his Dad's ankle.

"Then you will retrieve it and return it to its place," his Dad said stiffly, abandoning his sorrowful pretense in favor of anger.

Jay inclined his head once, almost grateful for the excuse to leave. Not fleeing, though, he reminded himself as he shifted his weight to do just that. No, he wasn't running, he wasn't a coward.

" _After_ ," his Dad hissed, as though reading his mind, and the hand that held the whip twitched at his side.

Jay openly flinched then, his throat closing up as his heart began to hammer violently in his chest as his Dad took another step forward.

Don't beg don't beg, don't you _dare_ beg.

"Hands on the wall, Jay," his Dad instructed with a curl of his lip, like he could sense Jay's weakness. "And if you don't want me to rip through that vest, I suggest you take it off."

It wasn't disgust, Jay realized as he slowly undid the buttons of his vest. No, while the slight curl of his lip might have indicated some kind of scorn, the look in his eyes suggested something else entirely. He was enjoying this, the sadistic fuck. The rebellious thought was enough to null Jay's fear, allowing anger and a twisted sort of courage to fill him instead. His fingers brushed against the knife as he slid his vest back and down his arms, and the touch reminded him of his previous goal; the reason why he'd stolen the knife in the first place.

"Jay," his Dad said again, a clear warning in his tone.

Jay straightened and forced himself to remain firm, calm as he gripped the knife behind his back and stared back at his Dad….No, no he wasn't that. His father, no, not even that, not anymore; not ever. Jafar...yeah, that was it. That's all he was to Jay now.

"No," Jay said firmly, reveling in the way Jafar visibly faltered.

"No?" the man repeated, and Jay slid the knife an inch out of its scabbard.

"No," he affirmed, straightening further in attempt to appear taller and older than his 13 years. "I'm not going to let you beat me anymore…you're _not_ going to beat me again."

"Insolent brat!" Jafar snarled, his shock wearing off as he stalked towards Jay with whip upraised.

But Jay had meant what he said. He jerked the knife completely free from its scabbard, taking the first blow across the face and dodging the second. He jerked his arm up as he did so, catching the whip and letting the leather wrap around his wrist, grimacing determinedly when it bit deep into his skin. He snapped his arm back, pulling Jafar forward and lifted the knife, stopping just shy of cutting the man's throat.

To say that Jafar was surprised, didn't come close to describing the look on his face. Jay grit his own jaw, trying not to smile victoriously. He had to stay calm, stay cool like the snake he was. He stared Jafar down, realizing with belated glee that he was almost taller than the man.

"I learned a few things being out on the streets so much," Jay bragged darkly, allowing the smallest trace of a smile to slip across his face. But it came out closer to a wince, as he waited for the inevitable outburst.

Jafar's outburst came as a sharp, wheezing laugh, so loud and sudden it made Jay jump. The knife slipped from his fingers and thudded to the floor, but Jafar continued to laugh, arching backwards on his heels and cackling to the rafters.

"So it would seem!" he huffed out, before laughing again.

To say that Jay was terrified would also be an understatement. The boy released his hold on the whip and staggered back, his mouth falling open slightly in shock. He understood, suddenly, how some might say that Jafar was insane. He'd never seen such a drastic shift in the man's behavior and expression before. Jafar was a master of masks and disguises, true but this- there was no warning, no subtle sign. Just…madness.

"Well, son," Jafar murmured, still chuckling as he straightened slowly. "You've certainly surprised me."

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fucking _fuck_.

Jay felt his bravado drain from his body, his legs threatening to buckle as Jafar began to stalk forward once more.

Dad _._

"Really, I'm almost proud."

Please _…_

"I'm sorry," Jay rasped, the sound barely making it past his lips.

Why had he thought this was a good idea? _Why why please don't please don't!_

"Oh I know son," Jafar crooned softly, the whip lashing out and causing Jay to scream the words; curling against the wall in a vain attempt to shield himself.

 _"I know."_

* * *

Jay

Jay could understand, walking to the library, just what Mal had meant when she said her apologizing made her weak. He didn't begrudge her the task, though he had enjoyed dragging it out and making her uncomfortable. He hadn't enjoyed the bruises that accompanied it, however; though Jay had had worse apologies- namely, ones that he had delivered. The scars from his last apology still itched from time to time, and _that_ had been five years ago.

A turning point, Jafar had called it.

Jay works his jaw as he tries to shove those memories to the back of his mind. He was apologizing to Carlos, not Jafar. Which made the task infinitely harder because Jay actually cared about Carlos.

"I got this," Jay mutters to himself as he nears the elevator. "Simple: 'I know I was being a jerk earlier, but I won't let it happen again.'"

 _'Yeah, you've said that before, too,'_ a dark voice hissed in his mind. _'It didn't work out so great.'_

Jay grimaces, shaking his head to clear his thoughts and eyeing the metal doors before him warily. He assumed, from the sign hanging overhead that they were the 'elevator' in question, but they didn't look like anything that could swing open, and doors didn't even have a handle.

"Fuck kind of door is this?" Jay grumbles, glaring at the contraption. Why did they have to make things so complicated here?

He was tempted to just use the stairs, but he didn't really like the idea of running up three flights if this thing was supposed to be faster. And anyway, the suit of armor had said he needed to reach Carlos 'in a timely manner,' causing a flicker of panic inside as he worries just why he needed get there so fast.

The soft clicking of heels interrupts Jay's frantic thoughts, and he looks up to see that pretty Chinese girl- what was her name? Linette? Something like that- exiting a nearby classroom. Jay straightens as the idea strikes him, but then he frowns, hating himself for the very thought. He didn't need _help_ ; he wasn't weak…he could figure it out.

Jay steps towards the metal doors, shaking out his arms before wedging his fingers between the center crack, grunting as he pulled the doors away from each other. They made it about an inch before slamming closed again, and Jay hisses out a curse as he staggers back from the doors. He whirls desperately around to see that the girl is almost to the end of the hall, and he kicks the elevator in frustration before calling out:

"Hey, you! Uh, L-Linette?"

The girl jerks to a stop, turning and staring at him as though he had insulted her. "Lonnie," she says slowly, drawing out her name in a way that tells Jay he clearly should know it.

"Yeah, Lonnie," Jay murmurs sheepishly, glancing away before bringing his gaze back to her. "Um, do you think you could…? I mean…would….uh…"

 _'Smooth.'_

He trails off, grimacing at how pathetic he sounds. Different tactic: Jay straightens, tossing his hair out of his face and giving the girl his infamous sideways grin.

"Any chance you'd like to accompany me to the library?" He asks, dropping his voice to a level that always made girls swoon.

Lonnie glances around the empty hall before turning back to him, and Jay can't quite read the expression on her face. It's something like a coy smile, but he has the strange feeling that she's laughing at him.

"And why would I want to do that?" she asks slowly, cocking her head slightly.

Jay falters once again, caught off guard by her lack of reaction. Girls _always_ reacted to his charms. He glances back up to see that she was still staring at him with that weird look.

"You don't know how to work the elevator, do you?" she says, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No," Jay admits in an undertone, slightly embarrassed. "But I'm a fast learner," he salvages, winking at her with another grin.

She still doesn't respond, other than a quiet sigh, and walks over to the elevator doors. "See this button in the wall?" she asks, pointing at the wall before them.

Jay blinks, but follows her hand, eyeing the small button attached to the wall "Yeah," he drawls, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"Click up if you need to go to the floor above, and click down to the floor underneath," she says. "Since we're on the first floor, this button only clicks up."

"Then what?" Jay asks, losing his seductive tone in his curiosity. "Does the place you want to go transport around you? Or do you get magically transported there?"

Lonnie blinks a moment, her mouth opening and closing silently as she stares at him. Then she catches herself, shaking her head and sighing again. "Just watch," she instructs, clicking the button.

A soft chime rings out, and the metal doors slide apart, and Jay would be lying if he said it didn't startle him. He recovers smoothly, and steps into the small space, pausing when he realizes Lonnie isn't following him.

"The key pad to your left," she says, at his questioning look. "It's numbered 1 to 5…just click the number that corresponds to the floor you want to go to."

"Third floor library," Jay informs, and she motions to the buttons again. He clicks the button labeled '3,' and that hollow chime rings out as the doors begin to close slowly.

"Thanks," Jay calls to Lonnie, grinning at her through the closing space. "Maybe I'll catch you around again, sometime."

She snorts softly, and smiles that strange coy smile again. "Yeah, maybe."

Then the doors close completely, and the elevator begins to move, almost floating as it carries Jay up.

"She's totally into me," Jay murmurs to himself, chuckling as he watches the light on the elevator change.

 _'Yeah, keep telling yourself that, asshole.'_

He ignores the voice in his head and tries to bring his focus back on Carlos as the elevator chimes once more, sliding to a stop. The doors open, and Jay steps out into the third floor of the library, something instinctive telling him his safety lay in staying quiet. He creeps along, eyeing the rows of books warily and searching for any sign of his white-haired friend.

He finally spots Carlos, towards the back of the library, leaning against one of the walls. Jay breathes a quiet sigh and relaxes, straightening and moving towards the other boy with only a hint of doubt.

"Hey, Carlos," Jay calls in a silent greeting as he nears, but he stops when he notices that Carlos isn't leaning against the wall; he's cowering against it. The other boy snaps his eyes over at the sound of Jay's voice, his face twisting in a mix of anger and fear.

Jay tenses instantly, a cold feeling settling in his gut. Carlos was afraid…of him? Jay's stomach sinks, and he takes a small step forward, but Carlos presses himself further against the wall and jerks his head in a short motion.

"Carlos," Jay pleads softly, his voice breaking halfway through. "I'm sorry, alright? I get that you're pissed at me, but…."

"Shut. _Up._ " Carlos hisses, his own voice barely a squeak.

Then that instinct part of Jay kicks in, and he realizes that it's not _him_ that Carlos is afraid of, it was something just behind him. Jay tenses even further, but doesn't whirl around and face the thing like he wants to. Instead, he forces himself to stay calm, and takes a half step closer to Carlos, turning his body sideways so he could see. It takes him a second to realize what he's looking at, because it's half hidden by a row of books, but when he does, Jay understands Carlos' fear.

It's a dog.

A large dog, actually, though he had nothing to compare it to. It doesn't seem to notice Jay at all, the thing's large eyes locked firmly on Carlos.

"Oh, _fuck,_ " Jay whispers under his breath, racking his brains desperately for a way out of this.

Ok, think, he snaps to his brain. What do we know about dogs? Only what Carlos knows, which is only what Cruella tells him, so take any info with a grain of salt. Ok, but what?

Dogs, otherwise known as four legged devils. Ranging in size from as small as a cup to as big as a full grown man. Regardless of size, all dogs were vicious and bloodthirsty, able to sense emotion; especially fear. Hunt in packs, and once they've locked onto a prey, will chase it relentlessly and without mercy.

And this particular dog-all white and covered in spots, had locked its sights on Carlos. Jay thinks that of course, it's only fitting, but he doesn't dare say it out loud. The dog takes a step forward, and Jay sucks in a breath while Carlos flinches, pressing even further against the wall.

"Carlos, come to me," Jay whispers, as the dog cocks a head at the other boy.

Carlos shoots Jay a look, and despite his fear, Jay can read it quite well. Carlos would rather risk the dog than be with Jay. The dog, which lets out a soft bark, lowering its front half to the ground and wagging its tail rapidly.

"What does that mean?" Jay asks in a frantic hiss, darting an anxious glance at Carlos.

"H-how should I kn-n-n-now?!" Carlos growls back, his words barely making it past his clenched lips.

Jay wants to retort that he was the so-called dog expert, but decides against it as the dog lets out another soft bark. He'd seen similar crouches from the few cats on the Isle (the ones who didn't get caught and eaten, that is) and knew enough to assume that the dog was getting ready to pounce. He had to act fast, but sudden movements would surely make this situation worse.

"Look," Jay murmurs to Carlos, who was still trying to melt into the wall. "You can be mad at me all you want, I don't care. But for right now, just get over here, ok?"

"Fffuck you," Carlos snaps shakily in response, his lip curling briefly before he grits his jaw shut again.

"Damn it, Carlos!" Jay hisses, but then the dog moves again, bounding forward and poking its nose into Carlos' leg, which makes the other boy flinch so hard that it startles the dog, which yelps before coming at him again.

"Hey, you," Jay calls at the dog, sheer desperation driving him to insanity. "Hey doggie, over here!"

The dog turns to Jay and cocks its head, its tail wagging slowly back and forth.

"W-w-w-hat are you ddoing?!" Carlos yelps, but Jay ignores him, bracing himself and extending a hand to the animal.

"Yeah, that's right, fur brain, over here," he coaxes. "Nice killing machine...good devil spawn."

" _Jay!"_ Carlos whimpers, and his cry is enough to catch the dog's attention once again.

"Fuck _damn_ it," Jay groans, as the dog pokes at Carlos a bit more insistently, licking at the boy's knee with a slimy pink tongue.

Jay is all set to charge in and physically wrestle the dog away when a girl's voice calls out:

"There you are, Pongo!"

Another boy's voice rings out just behind hers, anger in the tone: "Hey, you, get away from him!"

The boy appears first, stopping just past the row of shelves and snapping his fingers sharply. "Pongo, heel," he commands, though his voice shakes almost as much as Carlos.'

The dog whimpers, licking Carlos' knee again before running to the boy and sitting next to his feet, tail still wagging. Carlos buckles against the wall, breathing hard, and Jay moves quickly, darting forward and catching him before he can hit the ground.

"Deep breaths, Carlos," Jay encourages, supporting the younger boy's weight until he gets his feet under him again.

"I swear," the new comer continues sternly, or at least, would be stern if he weren't so pale. "If you've done anything to hurt Pongo…."

"Listen asshole," Jay snaps back, but he's interrupted by the arrival of the girl, who squats down to pet the dog, fawning over it exaggeratingly.

"There you are, you crazy dog, you," she coos to the dog before straightening and glaring at the boy. "I told you it was a bad idea to bring him to the library."

"Yeah, well if I'd known _he_ was going to be here, I wouldn't have suggested it, Amy," the boy snaps back, jerking his head in Carlos' direction.

He's about an inch or two taller than Carlos, though still significantly shorter than Jay, who uses it to his advantage as he stalks forward. He's beaten to the punch by the girl, who slaps the boy on the arm and frowns at him.

"'He' has a name, Richard," she scolds, though she casts a wary eye in Carlos' direction all the same. "And anyway, nothing happened, so…"

"But it could have happened!" Richard insists, glaring daggers at Carlos. "He's as crazy as his mother; who knows what he'd have done to Pongo if we hadn't gotten here first?"

"What Carlos would have…how about what your mutt would have done to _him_?" Jay growls, stalking forward once more.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the other boy snaps.

"Jay," Carlos murmurs behind him, but Jay ignores him.

"I'm talking about that _thing_ , jumping at Carlos and attacking him," Jay hisses.

"He was probably just trying to play," the girl, Amy, says, brushing a lock of auburn hair out of her face. "He can be a bit enthusiastic, though."

"That's what you call playing?"

" _Jay._ "

Jay stops, turning to face Carlos, who's glaring at him fiercely, his jaw set and drawing his face into a hard mask. The emotion is all there in his eyes, however, and Jay sucks in his breath at the sheer amount of hate and anger directed at him. It's the betrayal underneath it all that really hits him, and he forces himself to keep his mouth shut and not spew out everything he wants to say.

The girl clears her throat quietly, and Jay turns slowly back to face her and the other boy.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot," she says, and somehow manages a smile. "I'm Amelia Radcliffe, and this is my significantly more annoying twin; Richard."

"Just because we were born at the same time doesn't make us twins," Richard huffs, in an aggrieved tone that makes Jay think he's said those words a lot.

"It does," Amelia says firmly, glaring at her brother before turning back to them with a smile. "And this is Pongo." She indicates the dog at their feet. "Well, Pongo Jr. Jr. Jr, really."

"It's just Pongo," Richard informs them in an undertone. "And anyway, it's not something you need to worry about because you're not. Touching. Him."

These words are directed at Carlos, and Jay wants to punch the bratty kid, but Carlos stalks forward and glares at the boy, effectively shutting him up.

"I d-d-don't care about your st…upid dog," he growls, and even though half of the words stick in his throat, Jay has to admit he sounds pretty badass.

Richard thinks so, too, because he falters, backing away a step and grabbing onto his dog's collar. "Well," he says, trying for bravery. "Good, because you're not turning him into clothes."

"If you're so-so-so-so worried," Carlos bites out. "Wwhy don't you g-go?"

The boy looks affronted, but he lifts his chin and storms past them and into the elevator, which chimes dully before taking him away. Amelia sighs, shaking her head at him, grabbing hold of the dog and giving Carlos a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Sorry about him," she murmurs, sheepishly. "Um, but thanks for not punching him…or, well," she glances nervously down at her dog before giving another smile/grimace. "Thanks."

She hurries off after her brother, whistling nervously as she waits for the elevator to come back up. Then she shuffles inside, and with barely a wave, chimes off as well.

"Good riddance," Jay huffs, glaring after the elevator. "Can you believe…?"

"Y-y-you should ggo too," Carlos says, his voice cold as he sets his face again.

"Carlos," Jay tries again, reaching a hand out to grip the other boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, alright? I know I was..."

"It's nnnot alright!" Carlos snaps, jerking away from Jay's touch. "You..." He cuts himself short, turning sharply and completely closing himself off to Jay. "J-just go."

"If that's what you want," Jay rasps quietly, his voice thick as something breaks inside him.

Carlos doesn't respond, his body stiff, and Jay backs away, blindly clicking the button to the elevator. It's only as the doors begin to close that Carlos lifts his head, and Jay desperately leans forward, a vain hope filling him.

"It's w-what you're good at, an-anyway."

The elevator doors slide shut then, and Jay thinks that the chime is mocking him with the way it rings out; so bright and cheery. And yet, at the same time...hollow.

* * *

 **Sorry, did I say a tiny bit of angst? I meant a lot more angst.**


	11. Truth is, you ain't seen nothin'

**Hey guys! Hopefully this time I managed to update a little faster for you. That last chapter was…well, angsty as all heck. Even _writing_ it was hard. But this one is a  tiny bit more light hearted, and you get some more signing, 2 new POVs, _and_ a flashback, so hooray for that!**

 **Anyway, on to my reviews!**

* * *

 **Rowan: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **IWantColoredRain: Thank you! I'm happy you enjoy this so much, and hopefully this update will be soon enough for you.**

 **LittleMissBookwormBrainiac: Aw, thank you so much for your kind words! It's good to know I made you feel so much, although it is unfortunate that I managed to kill you. That…was not my intent. ;) Hopefully you will revive enough to continue to read and enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Tiredandlazy: Haha, it's totally fine that you didn't review right away! I enjoy hearing your thoughts regardless of time. I'm glad that you finally found Aziz, hopefully that satisfaction was worth the ridiculously complicated search, lol! ;) As for what I'd mentioned in terms of pairings, you are correct, I am NOT pairing Jane and Carlos as a couple. (Sorry to all those who are disappointed by that) But they will still be friends, as I do think they are kind of adorable together, just not in a romantic way. As for Chad and** **Carlos, I attempted to just be evil and vague and mysterious, and simply say that there would be 'something' in terms of their relationship with each other.**

 **I must say, I'm impressed with your phone's lifespan. Mine would probably last as long as well, but I have a 'new every 2' plan, so I never know just how long I'd be able make my phones last. (Although, given my history with electronics, probably not very long outside of a life proof case!) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **Shots and Giggles: Haha, that's so cool to find another Panic! fan! I don't meet too many outside of the few people at work who helped get me into their music. I knew the song 'Nine in the afternoon' when it first came out and I was still a kid, but I never knew it was Panic! at the Disco, until I "grew up" and rediscovered their music.**

 **I'm relived and happy that you think I'm handling everything well so far; given the particular nature of the story I'm going for, I always worry that I'm either going overboard or not tiptoeing around it enough, lol. And there wouldn't be any 'fairytale' romances with this; as much as I enjoy fairytale romance, I am also a realist, and so I tend to fall in love with the romance, while simultaneously tearing it to pieces. ;)**

 **And yes, that fight scene was fun to write! I literally browsed countless YouTube videos of martial arts and fight choreography, just to make sure everything was accurate, and figure out how to 'show' the fight in a way that it could be visualized, but not come across as cheesy. I even enlisted my older brother's help, since he acts and has experienced stage fighting. (I am a dedicated writer, and writers have to be excellent researchers, too, lol!) That whole scene with Jay and the elevator was also fun to write. It occurred to me only as I was writing it; originally it was just going to be simple and casual: Jay rides the elevator to the library, etc. but my inner editor kept telling me it was wrong to have him do that, and when I thought about why, I realized; the Isle didn't have any technology, silly me! So I will definitely be playing around with the Four experiencing Auradon tech for the first time. :)**

 **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **GenderqueerWriter: I'm glad to see I've inspired such a powerful reaction from you, haha! Hopefully this next chapter is soon enough for you, and that you'll continue to enjoy the crazy stuff I come up with. :)**

 **Kry Chi: Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! I live for angst, and there will definitely be plenty of it throughout this story. And rest assured, there will be more of Mal being super protective! I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **starflight34: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! :)**

 **AllGlitchedUp: Ok, I'm not gonna lie, I kind of freaked out when I saw that _you_ had reviewed _my_ story! I've been a silent lurker of 'Detours' for the longest time, but had no idea how to put into words how much I love that story! You do an even better job than me at highlighting all the dark and grisly things that go on in an Island full of villains, and I love absolutely every bit of it!**

 **Whew, deep breaths. That aside, thank you for reviewing, and for your suggestions! Things are definitely going to be tense and difficult between Jay and Carlos for a while. I always got the feeling that when Carlos said 'the past is past, forgive forget,' he was saying it as it was something that _someone else_ should do, and not something he felt he needed to do. Plus, he gets some of his stubbornness from Cruella. (After all, she chased down all those puppies for a coat, when she could have found some _other_ Dalmatians to use anywhere else. It's not like they're a rare breed!) Anyway, I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my story, and I will definitely attempt to put my thoughts into words and start reviewing 'Detours.' :)**

 **Forever-Furuba: I am definitely going to follow the love potion part of the movie, though, of course, following my storyline, I'm also going to be twisting it a bit. (insert mischievous laughter here) And I was going to explore Mal and Jane at some point, but I wasn't sure how in depth I should go, since in the movie everything is kind of glanced over. But I will definitely be taking some of your suggestions to go about it, so thank you for that! :)**

 **I also never thought about Mal and Jane being a potential thing; but I'm also not going to be pursuing _any_ romantic relationships with Jane, for exactly the reasons you pointed out. She's just not mature enough for something like that, never mind her age; although there will still be room for platonic relationships with everyone. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying, and thanks again for the suggestions. :)**

* * *

 **Ok, Author's Notes!**

 ****WARNING**** **This chapter, while a bit lighter than the previous, still contains some heavy stuff, including but not limited to: aggressive bullying, crude language, child abuse and mentions of child abuse/neglect; as well as hints towards darker things such as mental health, child loss and assault.**

 **(I fear I just spoiled the entire chapter/plot, but I didn't want to just include no warnings and potentially offend or trigger anyone.)**

 **And on that note, I'll let you all enjoy the chapter! Looking forward to hearing what you all think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Evie

Mal slides into her seat beside Evie almost a half hour into the chemistry lesson, her bag slamming to the ground and spilling books onto the tiles. A soft snickering goes up from the class, headed by Chad; though it dies as Mal casts a glare around the room, and Mr. Deley clears his throat sharply.

"There you are, Mal," he says sternly. "So good of you to join us."

"Sorry," Mal murmurs, ducking her head and rolling her eyes at her desk. "I forgot the way."

"Hm," Mr. Deley hums with a lift of his brow. "That is what all the maps are for. In the future, do try to be on time."

"Sure thing," Mal agrees, nodding her head in politely, but Evie can see right through it.

The teacher turns his attention back to the board, explaining the various elements and how to calculate their weights and isotopes. Mal bends to gather up her books, and Evie notices the way the other girl moves, every motion stiff and deliberate. Evie sighs as Mal straightens, and she turns to the other girl with a stern expression on her face.

"You know for someone who scolded the boys for fighting, you're a bit hypocritical," Evie mutters with a frown. "I take it the other guy looks worse?"

Mal's head jerks minutely in Evie's direction, her eyes flickering guiltily before settling on the blackboard. "He deserved it," Mal grumbles under her breath.

"I'm sure," Evie murmurs tersely, jotting down a note from the board and trying to ignore Doug, who keeps giving her what he thinks are subtle longing glances from across the table.

"How did you even know?" Mal hisses, and Evie scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"I know _you_ , M," she replies haughtily.

"But still," Mal mutters, brushing a strand of purple out of her eyes. "It's not like he left a mark…."

Evie huffs a sigh and gives Doug a sideways glare of warning before glaring back at Mal. "Really, Mal? You and Jay…was that really necessary?"

"How the _hell_?!"

"Ahem."

Both girls start, glancing up to see Mr. Deley frowning sternly at them both, although his gaze was focused mostly on Mal.

"Something you would like to share with the class, Miss…Maleficent?" the man drawls, with only the slightest bit of hesitation as he addresses Mal.

Evie grimaces, but Mal stiffens sharply, her eyes flashing a dangerous shade of green. Evie quickly reaches for her friend's hand, placing her own over top of Mal's and squeezing firmly.

"Mal," she whispers, darting an anxious glance to the teacher before focusing back on the other girl.

Mal grits her jaw, and Evie feels her hand clench into a fist beneath her palm. A shock ripples through Evie's fingers, and she lets go, startled at the soft spark that dances across Mal's hand before disappearing.

"Mal," Evie hisses again, a bit more insistently, but Mal jerks her hands off the table, shoving them into her pockets as she plasters a tight smile onto her face.

"No Sir," Mal says, keeping her eyes on the chalkboard instead of the teacher. "I was just saying how excited I am to be learning about helium and its various isotopic measurements."

Evie tenses, waiting for the man's response. Mr. Deley simply huffs a sigh, something resembling resignation in his tone as he replies:

"Do please contain your excitement," he intones lowly, and Mal nods in rapid agreement, relaxing only when the teacher turns back to the board.

"What were those sparks?" Evie demands, the moment the teacher's back is turned.

"Nothing," Mal snaps in an undertone. "Just…I don't know…but it's fine. I have it under control."

"Sure you do," Evie nods skeptically. "Is that what you call getting into it with Jay?"

"We're fine now," Mal defends, giving Evie a sideways glare. "He's back with Carlos, anyway. Trying for an _apology_."

Evie winces, sucking in a quiet breath. "I see why you chose the physical route," she mutters.

Mal lets out an airy chuckle, her lips twitching sardonically. "Yeah."

"I don't envy him that task," Evie continues quietly. Knowing Carlos, there was no way it could end as smoothly as it had with Jay and Mal.

"He knows, right?" Evie asks softly. "Carlos, I mean. He knows that Jay…that it was for the best that he wasn't there?"

"He probably does get it," Mal mutters with a subtle shrug. "But I doubt it'll make a difference either way. It won't matter _why_ Jay left; it's the fact that he _left_ that's going to be the issue."

"Why can't everything just be like chemistry?" Evie sighs, glancing down at her notes.

"It is," Mal grumbles beside her. "Needlessly complicated and impossible to understand."

"It's not impossible," Evie retorts, rolling her eyes at the other girl. "You just need to apply yourself more."

"Wow," Mal murmurs, lifting her brows in an exaggerated expression. "Condescending much?"

"But am I wrong?" Evie asks, smirking at Mal, who glares right back; her eyes flashing green again.

Across the table, Doug lets out a short spurt of breath that Evie recognizes as a laugh, and she snaps her head up to glare at him, instantly defensive.

"Something funny to you?" she snaps, and she silently revels in the way the boy pales, faltering over his words.

"Ah, no, no, I just…ha. Sorry," he mumbles, stammering almost as bad as Carlos. "Just, what you said, about chemistry." He glances up at her and tries for a smile, and Evie narrows her eyes at him.

"What about what I said?" she hisses lowly, and she can see Mal leveling the boy with a green-eyed glare of her own, backing up her silent threat.

"N-nothing," Doug hastily whispers, desperately glancing back and forth between the two girls. "I just thought it was…funny? Accurate," he clarifies quickly. "I also find that things are often a lot like chemistry: relatively straightforward, and only _mildly_ explosive."

He lets out another nervous laugh, his shy smile barely making it all the way across his face. Mal scoffs, rolling her eyes as she mutters: "Nerd," under her breath. But Doug is looking at _Evie_ , and the antagonistic princess can't quite interpret that look in his eyes. She keeps her guard up, although she can't help but think that he looks kind of cute when he's terrified of her.

"Only mildly explosive?" she finds herself teasing, and Mal presses a fist to her mouth to stifle her groan.

"Get a room," she coughs, low enough so only Evie can hear, and so it's only Evie who blushes furiously, embarrassed even as her stomach clenches at the thought.

"Shut up," she says flatly, and Mal shrugs a shoulder, dropping her eyes back to her scribbled notes.

"Just saying," the other girl mutters, and Evie shakes her head, ignoring Doug completely as she forces her attention to the lesson.

He was cute, but just that. Cute. Something to amuse herself with while she's stuck playing nice; for however long they'd be here, anyway. The thought of anything more…of even entertaining Mal's teased suggestion; makes Evie sick. She'd stick with her games, and maybe, if it were a Prince, at least…Princes were noble, after all. A Prince would be understanding if she didn't….

Evie shakes her head, bringing herself back to reality and working out the sample problems Mr. Deley had chalked up on the board. Mal gives up without a single glance at the work, busying herself by sketching out a rough 'Long Live Evil' design in her note book. Evie watches the drawing progress with bemusement, glancing over every few problems to see how far it had come.

"Not bad," Evie offers, as Mal completes the curve of Maleficent's horns, graceful and yet ominous as they hover just in the background of the sketch.

"Do you mean my talent, or the drawing?" Mal murmurs, the corner of her lips curving upwards, though her eyes remain focused on her sketch.

"Obviously I meant the drawing," Evie quips, and Mal growls, though the sound is stolen by the sudden ringing of the bell.

"Remember, there will be a test within the week," Mr. Deley intones solemnly from the front of the class. "Although it is not the mid-term, it will still count for a third of your grade."

"Whoa," Mal says lowly, dragging out the sound. "Really?"

"Yes. Really," Mr. Deley replies in that same solemn drawl. "All the more reason to be on time, Miss Maleficent."

"Right," Mal answers in a clipped tone, her jaw clenching angrily between syllables. "I will _definitely_ be keeping that in mind."

Evie steers Mal out of the classroom quickly, not letting go until they were safely out of range of the other students. She had seen Mal's fingers sparking again, and regardless of how she felt about _certain members_ , she didn't want to see anyone set on fire.

"Seriously though, M," Evie says sternly, once they were clear. "What is with the sparks? And don't bullshit me."

"Ooh, princess has got a potty mouth," Mal croons with another wicked curve of her lips. "Would you kiss Doug with that mouth?"

" _Mal_ ," Evie snaps, so harshly it's almost a growl.

"What?" Mal protests with a soft chuckle, spreading her hands in innocence. "I mean, it's obvious enough that…."

"Stop."

Mal blinks, furrowing eyebrows as she glances at Evie in confusion. "O…k," she drawls slowly. "Sorry? I think?"

"Just…forget it," Evie exhales shortly, pursing her lips and trying to drive the thoughts from her brain; flickering images and feelings of brick walls and heavy breathing.

"I was only kidding, E," Mal continues carefully, seeming to understand where the girl's thoughts had gone.

"I know," Evie responds in a clipped voice, forcing a light note in her tone. "Drop it; it's fine."

It wasn't, and they both know it. But Mal doesn't press, instead nodding her head and flipping open her sketchbook again to doodle as they walk.

"It's just a concept design," Mal mutters, when Evie comments once again the skill of the drawing. "I'm gonna paint it on my locker."

"Is that allowed?" Evie muses, grateful for the switch in subject, even if it wasn't the one she had originally addressed.

"Most likely not," Mal replies, unabashed. "But Prince Ben did say we were free to personalize and decorate our lockers however we wanted, so…."

"So legal vandalism," Evie finishes with an amused laugh.

"Got that right," Mal agrees with another sly grin.

A grin that quickly morphs into a scowl as someone rushes past, knocking against Mal's arm and toppling her sketchbook for the second time.

"Hey, watch where you're going, asshole!" Mal hisses, abandoning her book to whirl furiously on the intruder, leaving Evie to scoop up the fallen sketchbook for her.

"Such language," a familiar voice says above her, and while the tone sounds playful, Evie can hear the strain in his voice.

"Jay," Mal growls, not breaking eye contact even as she accepts her book from Evie. "Don't make me beat you again."

"Ha," Jay barks sharply, his eyes glinting. "As _if_! The way I recalled it, I had the upper hand in that fight."

"You slimy…."

"Jay," Evie breaks through their banter with icy calm, as she notices the crucial absence. "Where's Carlos?"

* * *

Jane

When Ben had announced that he wanted to bring Villain kids over from the Isle, Jane couldn't help but admit that she was terrified. She'd be lying, otherwise, and, well…it wasn't something a respectable heroine would do; much less the daughter of a fairy. There had been excitement from some; Jane knew Lonnie had been one of the excited ones. Her roommate hadn't stopped talking about it: wondering if there'd be any 'roguishly handsome guys,' or *ahem* 'bad-ass and sexy' chicks.

That sort of talk always made Jane uncomfortable, given her lack of either experience, or prospective significant others. Although her mother always said that 'True love waits,' and that it applied to more than just, well…things that Lonnie or some of the other older teens would be more interested in.

Jane's main concern, was the one that realists like Aubrey shared: they were -and _are-_ villains! And Ben was just letting them free in Auradon, with access to things like magic, and technology, and…other students. It was a nightmare just waiting to happen.

And a part of that nightmare had already occurred, if the talk around school was to be believed. Jay and Carlos, attacking Chad and some of the other tourney team members with a knife…it was pieces of a villain origin story of fairytales come to life. There were other things being whispered around school too, though; how what was previously believed about Carlos de Vil being mute was actually a lie.

Jane didn't know what to think about the villain kids, other than that they were dangerous, and that the key to her survival of this term would just to be invisible. So, not much different than her usual. Jane sighs to herself as she nears the wing that held all of the various workshops and other extra-curricular classes. She'd stupidly left her sewing bag in the Home-Ec room- not that she was good at either sewing or maintaining a home. But the class had been one her mother had insisted on, and so Jane resigned herself to her fate. She would have much rather taken one of the Magic Theory classes, but her mother insisted that such a class was unnecessary, despite Jane 'technically' being part Fairy.

But Jane had to trust that her mother knew best. She _had_ to; because Goodness knows Jane had no clue what she was doing, and if her own _mother_ didn't know, well…Jane would not want to live in such a world.

A crash from one of the nearby classrooms, jolts Jane from her chaotic thoughts, startling her so badly she almost dropped her bag again. She clutches the cloth to her chest and freezes, holding her breath as another, albeit softer, crash sounds. Judging by the metallic note in the crashing, it's coming from one of the 'forges'- the student body's nickname for the metal working classes. But those workshops were banned from any and all student use or contact outside of class. It was too dangerous, what with some of the objects and machinery containing traces of magic; and so Jane couldn't help but wonder who was intruding.

Her curiosity gets the better of her fear, but not her caution, as she creeps on her toes towards the nearest classroom. The part of her that knows better screams at her; _what are you doing? Don't investigate! Get help!_ Jane has to agree; it was an almost classic horror scenario, but she had to know what was going on first, right? How else would she know what it was she was getting help for?

That was her curious side talking again, and Jane steels her nerves as she shoves open the door to the workshop, pausing just short of entering. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the magical workshops, but the things in here could still seriously injure her and whoever it was that had broken in.

"Hello?" Jane calls softly, not daring to turn on the light, despite the part of her that wants to. "Anyone there?"

There's no answer, but really, any intruder or murderer would know better. She takes a cautious step into the room and stops just over the threshold.

"This room is off limits to students," Jane tries again, grateful that her voice doesn't shake _too_ badly. "Although, granted, that means me, too, but…."

She trails off with a gasp as a breath sounds from in the room; something that would have been a laugh if sound had actually been added to it. As it is, it's still enough to completely terrify her.

"Ok, well, whoever you are, I'm going to give you till the count of three to leave," Jane manages with false bravery as she takes a step back. "Otherwise I-I'll have to…contact the authorities."

 _'Really, Jane?!'_ Her brain screams at her. _"Contact the authorities?"_

But her faltering threat seems to be enough for the intruder, as something shuffles by one of the anvils, and suddenly she's staring at a shadow. The shadow is about her height, maybe taller, but outside of that, there's not much Jane can make out, other than that the shadow also seems to be a bit shaky.

"Who are you?" Jane calls nervously, then clears her throat, trying for that bravery thing again. "I mean, this place is off limits."

The shadow shuffles a bit more, and Jane-slightly irritated by the silence and heavy atmosphere- flicks on the light. The shadow lets out a startled noise, and suddenly vanishes, the figure ducking back under the anvil.

"Hey, no!" Jane cries out, taking a few quick steps forward before remembering that intruders were dangerous. "You can't be in here! I mean, neither can I," she mumbles. "But that's _why_ you need to get out. Now."

The intruder doesn't say anything, doesn't make a single move, and Jane huffs a sigh of frustration.

"Look, I can't leave until you leave, so you might as well come out."

There's a soft shuffle of movement, and Jane jumps in surprise as the intruder slowly creeps back out; but from one of the machines to her left, instead of the anvil at the back of the room. It's not just the sudden appearance that scares her, either; it's that the intruder is…is…

"Carlos?" Jane squeaks, suddenly terrified all over again. Oh, pixie dust, she was in trouble now! Carlos de Vil, of all the potential intruders in the school, it had to be _him._ The mute sociopath.

 _'Well that's not very nice,'_ her brain scolds. _'I mean, probably not inaccurate, but still…not nice.'_

Carlos, for his part, looks almost as terrified as Jane, his body still not entirely free from the machine he'd been hiding behind. He's tense, and his eyes keep darting around the room, shifting from the various machines to the open door behind her, and Jane can tell he's trying to plot out some kind of escape route.

The stupid part of her leans back and closes the door, effectively shutting them both in. Carlos' eyes flicker, raw and wild, before he suddenly stops, his body stilling its tremors; and when he looks back up at her again, he's completely calm. He steps out from behind the machine, his movements fluid and purposeful, and his face betrays no emotion whatsoever.

 _'So, definitely a sociopath then?'_ she whispers anxiously to herself; to which her brain replies: _'Oh yeah, we're done for.'_

"Look," Jane says, backing away as he takes another small step forward. "I don't care that you were in here, I mean, I do, because it's dangerous and the parts are sharp and sometimes that anvil can still be really hot and there's all kinds of things that can go wrong and explode or catch on fire and…."

She gasps, realizing she's rambling, although Carlos was no longer moving towards her. He had stopped only a foot or so away from his hiding place, his eyes dark and calculating as he stares at her, his lips set in a line.

"What I meant to say is," Jane falters. "You shouldn't have come in here, but as long as nothing's broken, and you aren't hurt, we can both go."

His eyes flicker at that, the slightest shift in his expression; a tiny furrow of his brows, and Jane realizes he's confused about something.

"I mean," she attempts to clarify. "This room is off limits except for the students who are actually _in_ the workshop class…uh, so... I mean, unless one of the machines got knocked over or you're hurt or something. Then we'd have to see the nurse or whatever. But I'm ok with just leaving…pretending like this _didn't_ happen."

Jane stops herself before she starts rambling again, but she's just so nervous! And terrified, because he's still just staring at her blankly, his lips a tighter line than before.

"Ok," Jane drawls nervously. "Um, I guess, we'll just do a quick check?"

He blinks at her, and she takes that for a yes. She draws a slow breath and glances around at the equipment. Nothing _looked_ like it had been broken or taken apart, but there had been that loud crashing….

"Uh, are the machines ok?" Jane asks carefully. "Um, nothing broke or fell, did it?"

Carlos' expression turns guilty, his eyes flickering away from hers in a sudden show of vulnerability before he slowly shakes his head.

"Ok," Jane says, a little skeptical but desperately going with it in the hope that it would get her out of here faster. "And you're ok? I mean, you didn't burn yourself on the anvil or anything like that?"

He shakes his head again, but he's not looking at her at all now, his eyes cast towards the ground as he fiddles with something attached to his belt. Jane peers closer and sees a small furry something hanging on a chain from one of his belt loops. She thinks it's a rabbit's foot, but with another glance, as well as a subtle probe from her brain (why would the son of Cruella de Vil have a lucky rabbit's foot?) she realizes it's a grey and white dog tail.

"Well that's good," Jane mumbles, fidgeting a little herself. "That you're ok and all. Um, I guess…." She reaches behind her and opens the door, stepping to the side to let Carlos past.

He glances up at her then, all wary and nervous again, like he didn't think she was really going to let him go.

"I said as long as you weren't hurt and nothing was broken, it'd be ok," Jane tells him, taking another step and moving out into the hall, where she could breathe easier. "So, uh, it's ok. I mean," she fumbles anxiously. "Not 'ok,' since, breaking and entering and all that, but…"

She breaks off as Carlos approaches her and the door, the corners of his mouth twitching despite the fact that his lips were still in a tight line and his dark eyes unreadable. It occurs to Jane, as he slips quickly past her and into the hallway, that _that_ had been the reason he'd had that expression; he wasn't angry or trying to intimidate her: he was trying to keep himself from laughing at her!

The thought stung, though she didn't know why; it's not like it's a first for her. But it also makes her a little angry, and she whirls sharply on her heel to go after him before remembering the door. She turns back quickly to make sure the workshop door was properly secured, before whirling back and jogging a few paces after him.

"You know I could still report you!" She calls, her indignation striking against his back and having no effect. "I could!"

He barely pauses in his stride to toss a lopsided smirk over his shoulder at her, his eyebrows lifting as though to say: 'No you won't!'

"I will," Jane promises in faltering tones. "I mean, I should!"

He makes that quiet chuckling noise again; not _really_ a laugh, since there's no sound, but Jane can _feel_ the laughter; his amusement.

"What were you doing in there, anyway?" Jane demands, her curiosity and anger proving to be a dangerous and overwhelming force that completely drives away her sensible fear. "Shouldn't you be in class with Jay and the rest of your group?"

The effect of her words was instant and startling. Carlos stiffened, freezing in place like…well, not 'like a statue,' since that was a little _too_ cliché for Jane's liking. Almost like he'd completely stopped being a moving, breathing human being; like he'd never moved and never would. Jane had managed to catch up to Carlos- fortunately? unfortunately? enough- and so she is able to watch the almost painful twisting of his face. His eyes widen a fraction, something flickering in them that she couldn't quite interpret. His lips pull back from his teeth in what Jane thinks at first is a grimace, but then with a hard clench of his jaw becomes something of a snarl.

He maintains the expression for all of two seconds. Then he blinks, and it's _terrifying_ to see how fast the emotion is wiped from his face, his lips once more that tight line; his eyes dark and completely closed off. Jane would describe it as a mask: except it's his actual expression, and she falters when he continues walking, as though she'd never spoken to him in the first place.

"Y-you know," Jane stammers out, her voice barely a whisper. "You're actually quite expressive for someone who's supposed to be mute."

He doesn't react at all this time, his stride purposeful and sure; despite the fact that Jane was pretty sure he had no clue where he was going. She continues along -at a safe distance- beside him, eyeing him sideways every now and then to make sure her remark hadn't made him angry and he wasn't just waiting for a chance to pull a knife on _her._

 _'Don't be stupid,'_ her brain mutters. _'Too late for that,'_ the **other** part of her brain scoffs.

Jane grits her own jaw in a silent grimace, and focuses back on the situation at hand; namely, that they're going the wrong way.

"We really should get back to class," Jane mumbles, half to herself and half to Carlos, who jumps like he'd forgotten she was there too.

The look of surprise and fear on his face again, only last a second, but it's long enough to make Jane pause. It couldn't have been a _genuine_ reaction; she was anything but terrifying. She thinks it must be a reflexive thing, judging by the way his body remains tense and wary, his eyes quickly scanning the empty hallway before glancing at her. He takes her in for a moment, then looks away again, biting at his lip in a strange show of nervousness.

"I mean," Jane says, feeding off of his nervous energy and tugging at her bow. "I don't have a class, but you do…I think. You already had biology, so I think you just have…."

Carlos makes a soft noise in his throat that she thinks is a laugh, and is confirmed as such when Jane looks up at him and sees his lips twitching, his brows lifted in amusement. It sets off her anger again, and a part of Jane thinks that she's right in her feelings that the villain kids were bad influences; she'd never gotten this angry twice in one day!

"Haha, yes, Jane is just _so_ funny," Jane snaps, though not quite as harshly as she thinks it should sound. "Everyone else laughs at me, so why shouldn't you?"

She doesn't realize she'd stopped walking in her anger, until Carlos turns around to face her and she notices that he's in front of her, now. His expression is no longer amused, in fact, he looks almost worried, his brow furrowed slightly and his lips parted like he wants to say something. But of course, it's ridiculous of her to think that, no matter what hurtful rumors were spread.

"Who would laugh at you?" Carlos asks; although it comes out like: "Hoo, hoo, hoo?" And that **other** part of Jane snidely thinks he sounds like an owl.

His voice a hesitant and nervous whisper in her shocked silence, as the rational, normal part of her brain loops like a record. _'He can't talk! How is he talking? They said he couldn't talk, and yet…._

"You can talk?" the startled part of burst out, and Carlos makes a face, a bitter twist of his lips as he answers.

"Barely." Except the 'B' gets stuck somewhere, and when it finally comes out, it's in a loud burst of a hard 'B' sound, the rest of the word no longer important.

"I thought…," Jane starts, but then she catches herself and goes with something less like what the **other** part of her would say. "I thought Chad was just being a jerk, saying that you…." It's still too mean, and she breaks off again with an apologetic grimace.

"Th-that I hhad a st-st-stutter?" Carlos finishes for her, that bitter note still in his voice.

"Yes," Jane admits in a whisper, regretting bringing it up. "I'm sorry."

"Sso am-m I," he mutters, breaking eye contact and glaring fiercely at the wall to his left.

"Oh gosh, no!" Jane cries, horrified. "No, I didn't mean it like that, I swear! I meant I'm sorry they're saying things like that."

"W-why?" he asks, his lips curling in a grimace. "It's nnot fff…it's not a lie."

"No," she agrees reluctantly. "But the things they're saying, well…anyway, I only meant, I know what it's like, so…I'm sorry."

You-you mment-ioned that," he mumbles, but his glare at the wall had softened, and was _almost_ amusement again.

" _You_ never did mention, what you were doing in that workshop," Jane presses with a shy, teasing smile.

Her brain does a double take and practically keels over with the force of it. _'What in the name of all that is Good and Holy are you **doing**?! FLIRTING?! With Carlos de Vil!?' _

Jane politely tells her brain to shut up, and then immediately apologizes for it. Carlos actually chuckles, but there's something sort of shadowed in his eyes that doesn't match the amusement.

"Are you always this ffforward?"

That weird part of her that is actually enjoying the banter, attempts to say something coy and subtle; something cool like Lonnie would say, like: 'Only when I'm talking with you,' but what actually comes out is:

"No."

He laughs again, and when he turns back to her, his mouth is in a crooked sort of sly smirk.

"Wh-what were _you_ d-doing?" He counters; and if there's a part of Jane that registers his suddenly relaxed muscles- or if she'd known enough about Carlos to realize that this is the most he'd ever spoken to anyone who _wasn't_ Mal, Jay, or Evie; if she knew that his stutter was worse when he was nervous or didn't trust someone, and so it's even _more_ remarkable that his speech had gradually smoothed out some- it doesn't show.

It also doesn't show that this is the most Jane has allowed herself to interact with anyone; let alone in such a bold and positive manner. That not a single negative thought about herself had currently drifted through her thoughts; no twisted comparisons to others, no disparaging remark on her lack of 'experience'; and that it's a bit of a beautiful irony that she's opening up so much because of, and _towards_ \- a villain. All that does show is the slow, faltering steps towards some kind of mutual _something_ ; and any observer who knew _both_ of the participants as well as they themselves did _not_ know the other- would look upon this moment with a mix of awe and glee.

"I have an excuse," Jane retorts in faux superior tones, drawing herself up to a height that was…actually only a few inches shorter than Carlos himself. " _I_ was supposed to be there. _You_ weren't."

"R-really?" Carlos replies, his lips twitching and betraying his attempt to appear skeptical. "And wha-wha-what was that?"

"I left my sewing bag in one of the other classrooms," Jane mumbles, dropping her gaze in embarrassment. "Stupid, I know. It's not even a surprise anymore."

And there it is, that **other** part that always ruined things for her. _'You ruin it for yourself,'_ that part hisses venomously. _'Like, really though. Like_ he'd _actually have had anything to do with you.'_

Jane bites her lip hard, and winces when it actually hurts _too_ much, blinking at the worn black and red boot-like sneakers that suddenly take up her vision.

"Y-you're not stup-stupid," Carlos says, and his voice is so soft and yet so firm, that it's enough to cause her brain to cease all thought production.

"Auh," is all Jane manages, as she lifts her gaze to find him staring at her, his eyes just as firm, if not a little hesitant. She thinks- except not really, because her brain still wasn't providing that function yet- that she might like to do something here, but she couldn't (obviously) figure out what that would be.

Then Carlos blinks, and draws back again, shaking his head as though to clear it before glancing back up with that sly look again.

"An-anyway," he mumbles through his grin. "I had r-reasons too."

"Uh-huh?" Jane replies, and she's grateful that her brain finally got itself together enough to _actually play along like nothing happened._ She's just about press for what that reason was when the bell rings sharply above them, and Carlos jerks, pressing back against the wall like he expects some kind of attack.

"Oh, we're in the opposite wing," Jane reassures, her brain slowly piecing together that he probably thought he'd be trampled by students. (A valid fear, experience had shown her.) "No swarms of students over here."

She laughs, but he doesn't reciprocate, his head slowly whipping back and forth, verifying her words that it was still clear before stepping out again. It was a shame she wasn't firing on all cylinders yet, because she would have realized what a weird reaction it was. How severe.

"I sshould pro-probably go," Carlos murmurs, and he's adopted that 'not-mask' again; although Jane finds she can see through it, now, and can tell he's nervous about something.

"I mean, it's only what I've been trying to tell you the whole time," Jane tries to tease again, and it causes a soft lift to the hardness in his expression. "And anyway," she continues. "I have…oh _pumpkin seeds_!"

"You wwhat?" Carlos cries, his eyes widening as he stares at her.

"I have a study hall!" Jane gasps, remembering. "A double period, too; and I've already missed the first half!"

Carlos laughs then, but Jane's brain finds it very _not_ funny. She scrambles for her bag, slinging it over her shoulder, then, still frantic, grabs Carlos' hand.

"Come on," she pants. "I'll show you..." ' _The way back_ ,' had been what she was going to finish, but Carlos had jerked back and was now staring at her in a way that looked all too much like a frightened and injured puppy. (Again, the unwitting irony.)

"Sorry," Jane apologizes quickly, but sincerely. "I didn't mean to pull so hard. I just didn't want to miss any more of my class."

Carlos shakes his head, straightening slowly and offering a weak smile. "You're…you're g-good."

Oh, the joys of the double entendre! Except, Jane didn't know it at the time.

"Still," she continues. "I should have been more careful."

The second warning bell rings ominously, and Carlos glances at Jane's anxious face before breaking into a jog. Jane catches up, and he lets her overtake him and guide the way, while Jane tried to delegate tasks to her body that would allow her to run and complain at the same time.

"Fiddly faddle foodle!" She swears, grumbling under her breath. Carlos shoots her an extremely amused grin as they turn a corner and a familiar hall appears ahead.

"Th-that's a lot of 'f's," he says. "I gotta ssimpler one you could tr-try."

Jane trips, and it's his turn to grab her hand, keeping her on her feet. He jerks her upright a little too forcefully, but Jane thinks it's because he's laughing; an _actual_ laugh that he keeps trying to stifle- pressing his lips together tightly so it ends up becoming a childish giggle.

"I would _never_ ," Jane gasps indignantly, once she's recovered her shock of nearly falling. She fixes Carlos with what she hopes is a stern glare, but it only sets him off laughing again, hand coming up to cover his mouth as his eyes gleam wickedly at her.

"I-I-I was j..ust ki-kidding!" Carlos finally gasps out, his laughter doing little to persuade her.

"Well," Jane says, still frowning. "That sort of language isn't becoming of a young lady. Or a young gentleman, either," she adds, her eyes narrowing at him.

His own eyes widen at her look, then he glances blankly around the hallways, briefly pausing as he takes in the sudden crowd in the distance before turning back to her.

"Wh-ho, me?" he asks innocently, resting a hand against his chest. "I-I'm suppposed to be the ge-ge-gentleman?"

"You're _supposed_ to be," Jane mutters. But it's only halfhearted because, _somehow_ , strangely and impossibly enough, Jane finds herself starting to actually _like_ Carlos de Vil's company.

Which makes the third and final bell that much more painful. They both jump this time, and Jane mutters another Cinderella themed swear under her breath; something along the lines of _'Lucifer's hairballs,'_ as she ushers a hasty farewell to Carlos.

"I'll see you at dinner?" she half asks, half states, the pressing matter of her tardiness momentarily distracting her shy and fearful side; making her stupidly bold again.

Carlos just nods, his hand barely coming up for a wave, a mystified expression on his face that Jane doesn't have time to try and interpret. It's only after they've parted ways, and Jane is rushing to get to her study hall that she realizes she'd forgotten to ask him what he'd taken from the workshop.

* * *

 _Carlos_

 _"It's just…disappointing."_

"I know it is, 'Ella, but if you just give it time-"

 _"Ceran would have spoken by now."_

"…Maybe. There's no way to know for sure…and Ceran is…"

 _"Because of **him**!" _

"No, Ella. Carlos isn't to blame. No one is."

 _"No. Not no one…Auradon."_

* * *

 _"He's rather dull, isn't he, Baby?"_

"They say Carlos is actually quite smart for his age."

 _"Smart! Do you hear that? He calls him 'smart.'"_

"Try talking to him."

 _"What good will that do?"_

"They say it will help encourage him, hearing how the words are supposed to sound."

 _"'They say.' And do They also say when this Island of theirs will be ready for our imprisonment?"_

"…It's only talk, 'Ella. They wouldn't really…"

 _"Funny how everyone else seems to be talking but him_. _"_

"Just…give it time."

* * *

"Carlos!"

He likes the man better, he thinks.

"Carlos, look at me!"

He had a nice smile, and looked _at_ him, instead of _through_ him. He played games with him, sometimes, and talked to him nicely too.

"Carlos, can you say 'Mommy'?"

He blinks, wondering why he would want to do that. Was the nice man, 'Mommy?' He didn't think so, somehow.

"Honestly, darling, why you're still trying…."

He doesn't like the lady much at all. She doesn't like him. Carlos knows that from the way she looks at him, her voice not at all soft and nice like the man. And she was scary…sometimes she'd be nice, and talk to him nice and she'd hold him and it wouldn't hurt. But she called him Ceran when she did that, and he was Carlos.

"You can do it," the man says again, and his eyes are shining, and Carlos wiggles happily. He likes it when the man's eyes are shiny. "Say, 'Mommy.'"

He wants to try, at least. For the nice man. Carlos wiggles harder, watching the man's mouth move with intense, dark eyes.

"Mommy," the man says again, dragging out the word slowly.

Carlos reaches a tiny hand out and grabs the man's face, making him laugh as Carlos traces his tiny fingers over the man's lips.

"Mmmm," Carlos hums, wiggling again as the man suddenly pauses.

"Ella, look!" He whispers, and the lady is suddenly there; too close to his face and smiling that scary smile.

"That's it, Baby, you can do it!" Her voice is high pitched, that voice she uses when she calls him not-Carlos.

"Mommy," the man says again, and Carlos feels the way his lips move under his hand.

He brings his fingers up to his own mouth, tracing them over his lips and opening and closing his mouth slowly. He can tell this was important to the man, and the lady too…but he wants to do this for _him._ He wanted to make his eyes shiny again.

"Mmmmah!" Carlos shouts, smiling as he grabs at the man. "Mmmah!"

The man laughs at that, reaching back and tickling Carlos until he squeals. "Silly Carlos," the man mumbles. "I'm not Mommy, I'm…"

The lady makes a weird noise, and Carlos jerks, clumsily folding himself over in an instinctive duck. But the hurt isn't at him, it's at the man, who ducks too as something breaks over his head. And then suddenly the lady is coming at him, and he feels tight hands around his body, pressing too hard and…and…and there's no more ground, only air, and he's being pressed against something and the lady is screaming _screaming_ **_screaming_**!

 _"He's my Baby! He's my Baby, hesminehesminehesmine!"_

* * *

The man doesn't come back for ages and ages. Carlos cries for him, even though it makes the scary lady mad. She doesn't talk nice to him at all, not even to call him Ceran. She talks nice to Baby, but Carlos doesn't know who that is, either. He wants Mommy, but the man isn't there, and every time Carlos cries for him, the lady comes instead.

She doesn't like it when he cries. It always hurts when she comes; hurts worse than the last time the man had been there, and he had been squeezed so tight and it hurt a lot. The lady makes it hurt, so Carlos learns to stop crying. He doesn't like the hurt, but what really stops him is the realization that the man really _isn't_ Mommy…it's the scary lady.

* * *

 _"Why does he keep doing that?"_

The man is back, and Carlos had almost flown he'd scrambled over to him so fast, pressing himself into his legs and soaking in his warmness. The scary lady- he refused to call her Mommy, because she wasn't, she _wasn't!_ \- was sitting in her chair by the window, and there was smoke all around her. Carlos shivers, holding the man tighter and mumbling "Mmah" at him with each big step into the room.

"Doing what, Ella?"

The man's voice doesn't sound right. It's not _bad_ or _mean_ or _scary_ like the lady, but it's not _nice_ , which is what it's supposed to be.

 _"Well, two things, for one…."_

"Yes?"

 _"He keeps calling you 'Mommy.'"_

"And I am truly honored to bear the title. Really, I'm speechless."

There's something hard and sharp in the man's voice, and Carlos flinches, whimpering softly. He can't press himself into the man any more than he already is; so close that he can feel all the words vibrating in his chest.

 _"The other,"_ and the lady's voice is even harder and sharper, the smoke so thick that Carlos thinks it's going to fill him up and make him explode. _"He keeps repeating the 'M'…it doesn't come out right."_

The man makes a big breath, and Carlos floats on the breath with him, his whole body lifting up and down. It almost makes him laugh, but then he remembers the lady is still there, and she doesn't like him laughing. Doesn't like him crying, or talking, much, either.

"He's still a baby. It's not surprising the words aren't perfect yet."

 _"He's not Baby, Baby is right…."_

"Ella, remember? _Carlos_?"

 _"I know my own child! He just doesn't know me…."_

* * *

Chad

Five minutes into detention, and Chad is already done with it all. He's sitting in the back of the classroom, tucked into a corner as far away as possible from the two… _freaks_ sitting in the front row. Fairy Godmother had started to open up the detention; talking about how it was for everyone's 'mutual benefit' and explaining what the detentions would cover. And then she'd been 'called away,' and had left the classroom.

That was six minutes ago, and Chad can see the not-to-subtle ploy for what it is. Just some weird attempt to make them work together. But he wasn't about to get sucked into _that_. Bad enough that he even had to go to these stupid detentions. But he didn't plan on doing any more than what he had to get through this, seeing as he hadn't done anything wrong.

His parents had differing opinions on that matter. He'd received two separate letters from them, which was almost a first for his family. His father considered it an outrage; a slander against the Charming family name, to be so insulted and humiliated and accused of _villainy_! His mother, on the other hand, thought that the whole situation could have been avoided if Chad had _thought_ instead of _acted_. She insisted that while the 'villains' had been wrong to react the way they had, it was because of Chad's actions that the event had occurred at all. (She had also insisted on calling them 'children' which had only served to further irritate Chad. They weren't children, they were villains.)

She told him to remember her story, and how she forgave her stepfamily despite how terrible they were, and that in the end, her kindness was enough to guide Anastasia to kindness as well. Chad would have liked to point out that Aunt Anastasia been mostly controlled by Lady Tremaine, and that even if Aunt Anastasia had _begun_ as evil on her own, being petty wasn't quite the same as being truly evil and dangerous, which these two villains were. He would have _liked_ to say all of that and more, but he couldn't really fit it all in a letter, and he'd lost his cell phone again.

So he forces himself to bite his tongue, and glares at the back of the two freaks' heads; glancing first from one end of the row and the white hair, to the other end and the dark hair. He wonders, only idly, if there was something going on between the two, given their massive distance between them. But it's quickly turned to indifference. If there is, he doesn't care. He just needs to get through this detention and get away from them.

Ten minutes, and Fairy Godmother walks back in with a smile, though Chad notes that she looks disappointed to find them all exactly as she'd left them. Chad silently congratulates himself on his correct assumption of her 'plot,' though he quickly reverts back to boredom as she starts the detention for real.

"Well, children, as disappointed as I am to see you all here," she begins. "I must say, I am eager to begin this learning period."

Fairy Godmother turns to the board and scribbles something out, while Chad rolls his eyes and scoffs. He didn't need to _learn_ anything. Movement from below catches his eye, and he narrows his gaze at the back of the dark head, as the other boy tries to catch de Vil's attention. The freak wasn't even looking in Jay's direction, his eyes locked on his desk.

'Trouble in paradise,' Chad thinks snidely, but then it occurs to him that he could totally _use_ this to his advantage, and he straightens in his seat, suddenly interested in detention after all.

"I am going to teach you several things," Fairy Godmother intones from the front of the class. "But if there's one thing I want to teach you, it's this: the emotions that you feel are ok to feel."

Oh great, she was going with the 'feelings' thing. Chad sinks in his seat, abandoning his intense scrutiny of the villains in an attempt to focus on ignoring the old fairy. He thought about the other half of the villain quartet, trying to figure out what to do with them. Unlike de Vil, it didn't _seem_ like there was anything particularly freakish about the two girls. The Evil Queen's daughter was actually almost smart, half the time. Even Maleficent 2.0 was kind of normal, he guessed. But it didn't help _him_ any, not with how close the girls seemed to be to the opposite side of their group.

"Even anger," Fairy Godmother was saying, and despite Chad's attempts, he couldn't completely drown her out with his own thoughts. "That is something I want to impress upon you children. Anger is normal, and it is ok for you to feel angry when things upset you. It's how you _deal_ with those feelings that is important. Acting upon those feelings, is when things tilt towards the negative."

Chad finds himself unable to make eye contact with Fairy Godmother, as she glances up at them. He glances down to see de Vil has turned towards the wall, and is giving Chad a sideways look out of the corner of his eye. It's enough to drive away any of Chad's twisted sense of guilt or regret, and he straightens, shooting the freak a challenging glare of his own; setting his sharp features to appear even sharper.

It works, as he knew it would, and the freak looks away quickly, back at the chalkboard. Jay notices, unfortunately, and goes so far as to twist in his seat to glare at Chad; and the young Charming recalls that fight on the green, and that he doesn't want a repeat.

"This is precisely what I mean," Fairy Godmother sighs. "You need to learn how to relieve yourselves of your feelings in a way that does not lead to negative actions."

Clearly, it's too late for that, but the Fairy Godmother doesn't seem to agree with Chad's cynicism.

"Now, the key to all of this," Fairy Godmother states. "Lies in acknowledging each other as fellow human beings; and that goes for everyone. In any given situation, it is crucial that you always remember that."

Chad rolls his eyes, thinking that she wouldn't say that if she knew the truth about the two 'fellow human beings' below him. They were villains; the worst of the worst and the lowest of the low. If they truly were 'human' and deserving of that recognition and treatment, they wouldn't have been on that Isle to begin with.

That thought jolts Chad, and for a moment, he pauses. There was something…not right with that, but he couldn't think of what. His mother- his Aunt Anastasia. If she hadn't been so nice, would she have been on that Isle too? Declared a villain and therefore, not a human being? It terrifies him, that thought, because he knows that it's important; that there's something more there that he's missing.

Then he looks back down at the two villains, and he remembers the fight; Emil's dislocated shoulder, and Kory; who'd dodged the knife but not Jay's fists and wound up with a broken nose and a several bruised ribs. He remembers the dark and wild look in de Vil's eyes, and the way Jay had been smiling the entire time he beat Kory into the ground.

And he knows that _that_ is what's real here, not whatever sentiment Fairy Godmother believed. They weren't decent human beings, and Chad wasn't about to let himself forget that. They were villains, and he'd make _sure_ they got the treatment they deserved. Because that's what hero's did, didn't they?

* * *

Carlos

"Some joke, huh?"

 _I'm ignoring you_ , Carlos thinks, staring solidly ahead.

"I mean, really, 'talking out your feelings?' Bet you if she tried _that_ on the Isle, all that'd be left of her is a pile of pixie dust."

 _I'm_ ignoring _you._

"Heh, probably not even that; since CJ and crew would start a war to see who'd get the dust."

Carlos draws a slow breath, his hands in fists as he fights the urge to drive it through Jay's face. The only thing that stops him is the knowledge that someone else had already done that, and going by the rather larger bruise across the other boy's jaw, that other person had been Mal. He tries to imagine the fight, but he's too irritated by Jay's presence to feel any sort of amusement or gratefulness. She obviously didn't do it for _Carlos_ , but still, it's the thought that counts. Namely, his.

"Listen, about the library…."

Carlos lifts his chin and tightens his expression, lengthening his stride so he's several feet away. He doesn't care about how sorry Jay is, and he definitely doesn't need any reminders about that…thing, and it's only slightly less evil handlers.

"Carlos, please, just listen!"

 _What part of **I'm ignoring you** don't you get?_

But he stops anyway, crossing his arms tightly over his chest to further emphasize his stance on the matter. There's a slight crunch of grass behind him, and Carlos stiffens and moves away again, stopping only when he's sure Jay won't try and get closer. He can hear the short sigh from Jay, and Carlos feels a stronger flicker of irritation. If _anyone_ had the right to be frustrated, it _wasn't_ Jay!

"I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but you can't just shut me out like this."

 _Can't I? I was doing a pretty good job until now._

"Just-just tell me what to do. I don't…want to lose…you."

 _Well. That's new. I think he's actually sorry…he should be._

"Carlos, please."

Carlos swallows, and it's harder than it should be, and carries the sharp taste of salt. He blinks, and then does it again, cursing himself for giving in to weakness so easily.

"Wh-what do you want me to ssay?" he asks, and is relieved that at least his voice is still cold, despite the tripping of his tongue.

"That it's ok," Jay murmurs, his voice painfully soft. "That we're ok."

"We're nnnot," Carlos bites out, and the salt is gone from his mouth, gone from his eyes, as anger rushes back into place. "You…" he cuts himself off, grimacing as his voice fails him.

He spins sharply on his heel and signs instead, his hands reflecting his emotions with their jerky rapid movement. He points to Jay before bringing his left hand up and just to the side of his body; opening his hand in a sort of 'mouth' shape before closing it in a sharp motion.

[You left.]

Jay's face twists, and Carlos grits his jaw even tighter. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to be here and dealing with these…feelings. If _Jay_ started breaking down, Carlos would end him.

"I didn't," the other boy tries, but Carlos curls a lip at him fiercely. "Carlos, I didn't _leave_. Mal…I was kicked out."

Carlos presses the air out between his lips as he rolls his eyes, shaking his head as he signs; bringing up his right hand in an upraised palm, he then slides the tips of the fingers on his left hand against it in a short, double motion before signing again; pointing again at Jay before touching the tips of his fingers to his temple.

[Excuses. You know that.]

"Carlos," Jay begins, but Carlos shakes his head sharply, cutting him off as he repeats his first sign.

[You left.]

"You're right," Jay says, looking away. "I did. I left and I'm sorry."

Carlos wants to believe it, wants to trust that Jay really is sorry and that he'll come back and never leave. But he'd been down that road before, had had someone once who'd been there for him and was safe, like Jay was safe. Like he _had_ been. He knows what will happen if he gives in, and he can't let that happen. Not again.

He shakes his head, and is about to turn his back on Jay when a voice calls out behind him.

"Hey look, it's Tweedledee and Tweedle _dumb_."

Jay's head snaps up, his eyes hard, and Carlos turns sharply on his heel to see Chad striding down the hall towards them, leading a slightly larger group than before. Carlos grits his teeth and growls a warning, while Jay fires off a retort behind him.

"Hey look, a fairy! Quick, think happy thoughts!"

Carlos can practically feel Jay's challenging grin, and he can't help but chuckle a bit as Chad reddens in obvious discomfort. Then the other boy recovers, and his sneer is almost as powerful as Carlos' own.

"I doubt you freaks even have any happy thoughts to think."

Carlos senses Jay stiffen at that, but he pauses, only slightly taken aback. He could remember, actually, a very happy thought. But it existed only as that, a vague sort of _feeling_ of happy. And…a voice. A happy voice, saying something.

"I bet I can make some new ones."

That's Jay, Carlos recognizes, striding forward with his fists clenched and all set to follow through with his threat. But Carlos knew these odds, had faced these and worse single handed on the Isle, and even then he'd barely made it, even with his knife. Now, without his knife, and with only Jay as an obligated kind of back up; against one…two…at least six older, stronger, and taller boys. (He hadn't counted Chad. He couldn't count Chad; the other boy barely counted for himself.)

But this wasn't going to end anywhere near as well as the first one, and Carlos wasn't going to give Chad the satisfaction of more villainous behavior. Not if he could avoid it, which, according to Fairy Godmother, he could. Maybe.

"Sstop."

His demand stopped only Jay, but it was enough to make the other boys hesitate, if only for a moment. What had Fairy Godmother said? Steps to avoiding confrontations…aside from stupid 'human beings' bit, she'd actually had some solid advice. Not that it was much different from what Carlos had done back on the Isle. Finding common ground, talking things out, providing some kind of distraction to just slip away.

That had been her big thing. 'You can always just walk away,' and if things still got bad, then find her or some other authoritative figure. Not that authority figured had even done him much good, but it was better than nothing, which was they had.

"Look, Ch-chad," Carlos continues, keeping his voice low but calm. "I get tha-tha-that you hate mme; I'm nnot feeling friendly, either, tru-trust me. But wwhat does this g-get us?"

"Oh hey, the freak fancies himself a negotiator now," Chad snickers. "Don't tell me you actually took Fairy Godmother's words to heart? That's pathetic, even for you."

"Carlos, what the hell?" Jay hisses, but Chad has cocked his head a few feet down the hall, his lips pursed in an exaggerated frown.

"I like to think I take after my father when it comes to this sort of thing," the boy says, his voice smooth as calm. "Charming, fair, but reasonable enough not to be taken advantage of."

Jay mutters something under his breath that Carlos doesn't catch and doesn't try to. He focuses on Chad, hoping that this will work. This was Auradon; talking things out was their thing! Just talk it out, why fight when you could talk?

 _"Just try talking to him…"_

 _"What good will that do…?"_

 _"It'll help…if he hears…something nice…."_

"Here's what I'm thinking," Chad says, and Carlos blinks, looking up sharply from the void of memory. That voice…who?

"I'm thinking," the self-proclaimed 'charmer' continues. "You two had a pretty unfair advantage with your weapons and all. You caused a lot of damage, especially to Emil and Kory: broken ribs, broken nose, not to mention the knife…."

Chad's face twists into an exaggerated grimace, and Jay tightens his fists.

"You see what I'm getting at," Chad murmurs quietly. "It's only fair; after all an eye for an eye?"

Shit. Carlos realizes a second too late that while Chad had been talking, the other boys with him had slipped along the hall separating them, and had effectively cut them off from the back. The whole fucking thing had been a trap!

"Sshould have sseen it," Carlos hisses under his breath, mostly berating himself, but also despising Chad that much more.

Jay throws an elbow into the gut of the idiot that tries to grab him, spinning around and kicking a second away, then following that up with another punch to the first. Carlos ducks under grabbing hands, keeping his arms close to his body and fists up in defensive position as he dodges. That was all he could do in this fight, was play defense and try to calculate escape routes. He should never have gotten them into this in the first place! How could he have been so stupid as to actually try and _talk?_ All because of a stupid _memory_?

Then Jay cries out behind him, and Carlos whips around in slow motion, his heart seizing in his chest because Jay _never_ …he wouldn't have, unless he'd been really hurt. The adrenaline pounds through Carlos' body, clarifying everything in painful degrees, and so he is able to watch in horrifying detail as Jay is slammed into the wall; his head striking against the false brick hard enough to make Carlos wince. Jay's reaction is almost worse…he keeps fighting.

"Sstop!" Carlos tries to yell, but his words are lost as Jay swings a punch, which catches one boy in the face, but opens himself up to retaliation.

The counter attack comes swift and brutally, as his arm is grabbed and wrenched behind his back, twisted and then pushed. And it's slow; they _make_ it slow, so that Carlos can almost hear the quiet snapping, can watch Jay's face twist further and further towards panic. And then there's a horrifying _snap-_ **pop** , and even though Jay grits his jaw, Carlos can still hear him scream.

Jay staggers, and goes down, and then all that Carlos can hear is a rhythmic, lurching sort of grunting as four of their six attackers crash over him like a wave. And then it's just a relentless surge, an excruciating rise and fall as their feet lift and stomp, lift and stomp, swing and release to pound against Jay's defenseless form.

 _Stopstopstopstopstopstop!_

Carlos jerks forward, a high intense ringing in his ears, something hot and fierce burning through him and making everything blur together in a painful mash of sound. Gravity turns against him, as he's lifted and restrained by the remaining two attackers, and it's only once he's in a slightly upright position that he realizes he's out of breath; and that the ringing had been him; trying and failing not to scream.

"What's wrong, freak? Scared without your _dog_ to protect you?"

Chad's voice sends a stab of cold clarity through him, and Carlos straightens in the grip of the two boys, his own voice hard despite the pain and fear.

"And they ssay I'm a so-sociopath," he mutters darkly, but Chad just laughs, and somewhere behind him, Jay lets out another muffled cry that chokes off too soon, that sets Carlos to struggling all over again.

"Why don't you just run back to Mommy? I'm sure she'll kiss it and make it _all better_."

In hindsight, Carlos could look back and say that he had only been reacting on an instinct, that he'd been certain that Jay was dead and that he had every right to do as he had. But what really occurs to Carlos in the moment -as he skips the warning growl and goes straight for the snarl- is regret that he hadn't gotten to fully enjoy the look of terror and confusion on Chad's face as he bites out:

"Nnot even c-lose, asshole."

Then that thin something holding him together snaps, and all he registers is a very satisfying scream before he's struck hard across the face. A warm rush of pain, a sticky, metal taste in his mouth, and then. Dark. Just dark.

* * *

 **(Crap, did I mix it up again? I swear I'll get better at that.)**

* * *

 **Author's Note 2: I have decided half of the pairings for this story! There will be a mix of both platonic and romantic relationships, but I am not revealing any more on who or what or how. That is for the story to tell. ;)**

 **But! I am giving you guys a treat! Anyone who** **guesses the significance of Aziz's door room number: 40, may suggest a _small_ prompt for me to include in this story. (No OCs, sorry, and nothing sexually explicit) But anything else is free game. So, guess away and have fun prompting! I will continue to accept prompts and guesses up until I post the next chapter, (Probably in about a week or two) and I will choose up to 4 prompts to incorporate, so make them count!**


	12. Sit back, relax relapse again

**Hey guys! Hope I haven't made you wait too long for this chapter. Continuing in the aftermath of the last two, it's a bit of a doozey, but I promise it's got some laughs in there. Still, the tension and the angst is there, so be prepared for that.**

* * *

 **On to the reviews!**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll like this chapter just as much. :)**

 **theNiceDevil: Good to hear from you again! Yes, I did cliffhanger that chapter, mwaha! ;) I'm glad I've got you hooked on this story, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Call Me Random: Haha, thank you for the review! I'm glad you think this story is so awesome, and I hope you'll keep enjoying.**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: Well, if I told you that, it would ruin the story now wouldn't it? Lol, don't worry, they'll be ok; but not without some difficulty. Chad certainly has a ways to go before he gets himself sorted, but thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you'll continue to follow along. :)**

 **Tiredandlazy: I'm sorry for the cruel cliffhanger…lol, no I'm not! *cue evil laugh* ahahaha! *chokes on laughter* Sorry, ahem, anyway.**

 **I'm glad I managed to cheer you up with this story, that made me happy to hear. Doug and Evie definitely are the best, and I'm going to have a lot of fun writing their interactions, as well as Jane and Carlos. They're just so adorably awkward together! Chad will definitely be dealt with accordingly, don't you worry, although there will definitely be lots of shit going down while things get worked out. But they will get worked out!**

 **And yes! I love Detours, it's where I get my inspiration from. I know better than to try and do the same thing, but I definitely look up to that story as a writing goal to work toward. I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I look forward to hearing what you think of this latest chapter. :)**

 **HorsesInMySoul: That's ok, I still got it! Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much. Don't worry, no one is dead…. You'll find out soon enough what happens with everyone. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **AllGlitchedUp: Thank you for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying my story, and yes, I love yours as well.**

 **As for what Carlos was doing in the workshop will be revealed in good time. ;) Carlos and Jane really are cute together, and I'll be cultivating his relationships with others outside of the group as well, since, like you said, he needs to know there are other people in the world who will treat him right. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy, and I will look forward to seeing what you do with Detours. :)**

 **Krestal: Welcome to the story, and thank you for the review! In terms of pairings, I have some of them already worked out, but I definitely appreciate the suggestion! You're not the first to suggest Jay and Mal, either, I'm starting to wonder if there's a pattern here…. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you will continue to enjoy. :)**

 **IWantColoredRain: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and hopefully this update came soon enough for you. :)**

* * *

 **Ok, Author's Notes!**

 **As I mentioned above, this chapter will continue the angst, and dealing with the aftermath of the previous chapters, and will contain multiple POV shifts. It's a little bit shorter than the last two, but I promise the next one will go back to the normal length.**

 **Warnings for this chapter include the standard: crude/vulgar language, mild violence, as well as references to child abuse and neglect. Nothing graphic, but it's still a present theme, so be warned.**

* * *

 ***Note 2: Thank you to everyone who had sent in a guess and a prompt! I'm still taking guesses, and I have chosen 2 out of 4 prompts. Remember, the game is guess the significance of Aziz's dorm room number: 40; and in honor of the Core Four, I will accept 4 prompts from you guys to include in the story. No OCs, and nothing explicit, but keep guessing and prompting! I look forward to hearing from you guys! :)**

 **Enough out of me, on to the chapter! I hope you all enjoy, and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Jay

 _"…_ _almost completely…"_

Wha…? What was…?

 _"_ _Never seen…like this…"_

Something's…wrong. He can't….

 _"_ _Even older…going to need to be…."_

He can't move. He can't move! Why can't he…?

 _"_ _Sedated…those ribs…."_

Something wrong with his head…something fuzzy…blurry.

 _"…_ _need a count?"_

And pain…maybe. Something hurts…something's missing?

 _"…_ _two…one…"_

He's pretty sure he's dead, but there's too much _everything_ for that; too much buzzing and flashing and colors, and death was supposed to be a quiet, endless void. This place was anything but quiet, and Jay feels his face twist as his eyes flicker open. He's hit with a sharp and violent burst of light that makes him gasp, which then makes him scream, but he _doesn't have enough air_ and there's something wrong with his chest.

"Easy…sit back."

The voice comes from nowhere, and it's so loud in his ears that Jay flinches, but his body doesn't move the way he wants it to. He ends up lurching too far, and the solidness beneath him is gone in a sudden rush of air. He braces himself for the impact, but it doesn't come; instead there's hands all over his body, pressing into his skin and lifting him back up.

"Just take it slow," that voice comes again, firm but…gentle? "You took quite the beating young man."

 _Please,_ Jay thinks. _This doesn't even come close to the worst I've had._

He realizes only belatedly that he'd said that last part out loud, as the voice lets out a soft, choking kind of sound. He tries opening his eyes again, but all he gets is a blurred impression of pink and green and blue, and he gives up, settling back against the solid thing with a groan.

"Where'm I?" He manages, wincing as his words echo painfully in his skull. "Where's…Carlos!"

Shit shit fuck shit!

He jerks himself upright and ignores the pain this time, his eyes flying open and taking in everything at once; the room a stark white that directly contrasts the blue, pink and green blurs in front of him. The room is small, and there's a burning, acid sharp smell in the air, that sets off some deep, instinctive part of Jay that screams _danger!_ Something is beeping close to his ear, high and frantic, but even that doesn't match the racing of his heart as he tries not to panic.

"Alright now, let's not do anything rash," the closest blur says, and Jay whips around, lashing out blindly and not caring what he hits.

He hits nothing, as it turns out, and is instead grabbed and pushed back down. He thrashes wildly, and only then does that pain catch up to him, sharp and intense as it stabs through his chest, and Jay can't help the cry of pain that slips past his lips. He clenches his jaw, biting off the sound, but it still gets through, and he grimaces despite himself.

"See, that's why you shouldn't…."

"Where's. Carlos." Jay growls out through his teeth, glaring unsteadily at the two colors restraining him; the blue and the green.

"He's in the other room," the other color says, and Jay picks up on the hesitation in her voice; the fear and tight worry.

Jay draws a quick breath, but it's stopped short by the pain, and he fights to keep himself calm and not attempt another escape until he knows what's going on.

"Where am I?" he asks again, leveling the pink woman -no wait, she wasn't pink, just her hair, he realizes at another glance- with a glare that would rival even Mal's.

"You're in the infirmary," she says, her lips pursing at his glare, but her own expression still calm and unwavering.

Jay feels a flicker of respect for the woman, noting that she's not easily intimidated and deciding that she could just be worth his time.

"Ok," he says, and he turns his glare to the green-also a woman; only half of her hair was green, the rest a dark brown, almost black. He was sensing a weird pattern here… "And what is that? Why am I here?"

The green woman's eyes widen at his look, and she shivers before she can really stop herself. She straightens after a moment though, and manages to keep her voice from shaking as she answers.

"It's like a miniature hospital," she says quietly.

"Ok," Jay drawls slowly, mentally cataloguing her as weak, but mildly competent. "What's a hospital?"

It's the last woman that he asks this -her hair all brown except for a small streak of blue in the front; and she flushes in something like indignation before she catches his eyes and goes pale, sputtering nonsense as she ducks to hide behind the green woman. Jay narrows his eyes at that, instantly dismissing the blue one. Weak, pathetic, can't even stand her ground. Not even worth further attention.

"A hospital is where people go when they're seriously hurt; to be taken care of," the pink one explains, and though her voice is still patient, she casts a brief , irritated glare of her own at the blue woman, and Jay feels even more respect for her.

He ponders her description of hospitals and infirmaries, thinking that it was no wonder he'd never heard of it. The closest thing to a doctor they'd had on the Isle was Dr. Facilier, and no one was /that/ desperate, let alone that weak to admit a need for any kind of 'care.' Then it occurs to him that she'd said "seriously hurt," and he struggles to sit up again as the full implication hits him.

"Carlos," Jay presses, as soon as he's relatively upright. "Where is he? What...what's wrong?"

The three women all exchange glances, and Jay bites his lip to keep from shouting at them. The pink woman answers him again, her voice still that patient calm, but Jay can hear the wariness in her tone, and it sets him on edge.

"He's in the other room, dear, like I told you. He's not hurt, and you're both safe here."

Jay doesn't believe that for a second, and he levels the woman with another glare. "I need to see him." It's not a request.

"The only ones allowed to be with him right now are the other staff, and Fairy Godmother."

It's the green one who answers, hesitant but firm.

"And anyway," she continues. "You should be more concerned with yourself; you suffered severe injuries."

He would, he totally would be self absorbed under any other circumstance. But this; surrounded by strange people in a strange place that was meant to treat people who were alot weaker than Jay; hurt and separated from Carlos; it was a nightmare come to life.

"You don't understand," Jay tries to retort, but the pink woman adopts a stern expression and glares at him so fiercely he's taken aback.

"No, you don't understand," she scolds him sharply. "You have no less that 2 broken ribs as well as heavy bruising, suffered a severe dislocated shoulder, multiple blows to the spine and chest which could very nearly have killed you if it had persisted long enough; not to mention a grade 3 concussion!"

She finishes her tirade with an empathetic huff, crossing her arms to complete the effect.

"Impressive," Jay deadpans, not even blinking despite the fact that he couldn't even remember any of that. "If that's all, I'd like to go and see Carlos now."

* * *

Ben

Re: the list of unforeseen consequences and complications that came with bringing the children of villains into Auradon. Ben anxiously waits in the hallway, pacing back and forth the few short paces between two of the infirmary doors. Behind them, the main causes of his list; Carlos and Jay.

"You should sit," Audrey's voice says behind him, quiet and equally anxious.

"I can't just sit and do nothing," Ben argues, continuing his pacing.

"It's not doing nothing," Audrey states. "It's waiting patiently for news."

What more news they need is anyone's guess, Ben thinks, glaring at the doors as though willing them to open. He already knew far more than he'd ever wanted to. One fight apparently hadn't been enough, and Jay and Carlos had viciously assaulted Chad and six other members of the tourney team. The seven helpless victims had barely escaped with their lives.

Or, so it was according to Chad.

The _facts_ were a bit skewed, with no one yet being able to ask Jay or Carlos what happened from their view -not that anyone was willing to do that. Because, of course, how could anyone trust a villain to tell the truth? Especially when said villain had already previously attacked? What was known, was that Jay had been severely hurt; enough to warrant the infirmary visit, and that Carlos…Carlos was being evaluated for signs of mental illness, and there was talk about sending him back to the Isle.

"They can't do it, Audrey," Ben murmurs, tugging frantically at his hair as he whips around to face her. "They can't send him back."

Audrey says nothing for a moment, pursing her lips and giving him 'that look,' and Ben shakes his head sharply, turning around again.

"I know you don't want to consider it, Ben," she says gently. "But you did really rush into this; and if things have already escalated this much…you have to think about what's best for everyone involved. That includes the rest of Auradon."

Ben doesn't even have the words to accurately express just how not ok that was with him, and he's just beginning to try when rapid footsteps come rushing down the hallway towards them.

"Ben!"

Ben feels a sinking jolt in his stomach, but he turns slowly towards the voice, and is immediately tackled in a fierce hug by his mother.

"Oh, thank Goodness," she gasps, pulling away to cup his face with her hands before squeezing him again, "I was afraid we wouldn't get here fast enough. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Ben manages, but his assurances fall flat as he catches his father's eye over his mother's shoulder.

"Ben," his dad says stiffly, and Ben winces at the tone as he pulls away from his mom's grip.

"Hey, Dad," he says weakly, barely able to complete his shy wave.

"Are you satisfied now?" his dad asks darkly as he approaches, causing Ben to take a half-step backwards. "Now that you've seen what your proclamation has brought?"

"Adam," his mom chides sternly, but even she can't seem to fully disagree.

Behind him, he can hear Audrey rising from her chair and move closer to him, but Ben is focusing on trying to maintain his own composure. He draws a steadying breath that shakes too much to accomplish its purpose, and manages to look his father in the eye as he speaks.

"I think, until we know all of the facts, that it's unfair to make any assumptions."

"Unfair?" his dad retorts sharply, and Ben sees him mom stride quickly forward and place a hand on his arm. "Do you think those villains of yours cared about being _fair_ when they attacked Chad and other students? Would you say that letting them remain here a moment longer is _fair_?"

"I think," Ben says slowly. "That if Jay and Carlos had truly attacked Chad and _six_ strong, athletic members of the Tourney team, then it would be _them_ in the infirmary. And yet, they aren't the ones with broken bones and concussions."

Ben watches his dad pause at that, something resembling confusion flickering across his face. "Six?"

Ben nods once, and his mom gives a quiet gasp, while is dad hesitates another moment.

"Fairy Godmother is in with Carlos now," Ben murmurs. "Until we know what she finds out, we can't make any judgements."

"We shall see about that," his Dad rumbles, but he crosses to the row of chairs against the wall and sits down, glaring at the doors opposite.

Yeah, Ben thinks wearily, exchanging a glance with Audrey. We will.

* * *

Carlos

Everything is dark when he wakes up, but that's ok. He knows how to deal with the dark. He takes a slow and shallow breath, trying not to reveal his state of awareness until he knows exactly what he's dealing with. He reaches out with his senses, carefully probing at his surroundings. He decided to go with smell first, and continues his shallow breathing. There's something painfully sharp soaking the air, and he recognizes the smell; it's something he himself had used in various creative and mischievous ways on the Isle. So, he was either in some kind of factory, or a hospital; and judging by the fact that he was definitely lying on a bed of sorts, he'd wager it was the latter. It wasn't much more comforting.

Touch next, since he'd already felt the bed. It's firm, and not at all soft and form absorbing like the bed in his dorm room. He didn't risk openly moving his hands in any way, but he guessed that it must be pretty small and have a railing keeping him in, since he couldn't move his body. There wasn't much to taste, so he guesses he'll try….

"Ca…hear me?"

Carlos prides himself on only jumping a _little_ bit, and blinks slowly up at the blurred face above him. It's a stupid question, he thinks. He can hear everything just fine, way too fine, and it's way…too…loud. He's not worried hearing; it's the fact that he can't move or breathe that concerns him.

"It's alright Carlos," the voice says again, and he realizes that it must be Fairy Godmother given its absurd optimism. "You're in the infirmary. We're just making sure you're ok."

Carlos narrows his eyes at her, working his mouth in an attempt to speak, since he clearly wouldn't be able to sign his response. But something is wrong with his face; something was keeping him from talking. He draws a sharp breath that catches halfway, and something high beeps in his ear, making him flinch.

"Take deep breaths, Carlos," Fairy Godmother instructs lowly. "You're setting off the machine."

He blinks again at that, instantly alert and wary. He was being controlled by a machine? If he was really in some kind of hospital infirmary, they only attached you to a machine when there was something really wrong with you. What had happened? All he could remember was Chad…he'd done something to Chad. But that was only because….

"Jay!"

The word comes out too high and muffled, but Carlos struggles on anyway, fighting the invisible force that kept him from fully sitting up.

"Wwhere's Jay?"

He pushes harder, but the force pushes back, shoving him back down onto the firm surface he lay on.

"It's alright!" Fairy Godmother cries, and Carlos levels her with the fiercest glare he can muster despite the fear threatening to choke off what little breath he had. "Jay is just in the other room, and you're both safe here."

"Why can't I m-m-ove?" Carlos retorts, managing another shaky breath.

"Just a precaution, dear," she murmurs, and her tone instantly makes him tense and suspicious. "It's for your safety, more than anything, nothing to wor-"

"Wwhy. Can't. I. Move?" Carlos repeats stiffly, struggling against the rising pressure; this one building within him.

Fairy Godmother purses her lips, a visible flicker of hesitation in her eyes as she answers. "We…we decided to restrain you."

Two things occur to Carlos, in the gaping pit of fear that her words bring. One; 'we,' meaning that there was more than just her making decisions about him, and two; the sinking realization that she had betrayed him- which was ridiculous because that would imply that he had placed some kind of trust in her, and he knew better, he _knew_ he shouldn't have…rule number one, trust no one trust no trust no… _no air….he can't breathe he can't breathe he can't!_

"…los?"

He jerks sharply, suddenly feeling the heavy trembling in his arms and legs. He tries to get his breathing back under control, to wipe his face of all emotions. He only succeeds in the latter, but he's relieved to have managed that much; keeping his mask in place while he slowly broke apart inside. The frantic beeping rose in time with his heart; a high staccato: beep- _beep_ beep- _beep_ beep- _beep!_

Then suddenly his face is clear, the heavy force diminishing enough for him to breath, and he almost sobs in relief before he can stop himself. Instead, his face twitches as he heaves silent, heavy breaths, and he blinks back the pain as Fairy Godmother comes into focus above him.

"Carlos? Can you hear me?"

He gives her a short nod as he slips back into his mask, his features arranging themselves into a hard, neutral expression.

"Can…can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Oh, I th-ink I was just having a pa-pa-nic attack," he replies calmly, his voice as hard and blank as his face.

It's the Fairy Godmother's turn to blink, and he almost breaks his mask to smirk at her, but he keeps himself under control this time as she splutters in shock.

"Oh my…" she gasps, bringing a hand halfway up to her mouth. "Are you alright? What can I do?"

"Per-perfectly alright," Carlos deadpans, restraining himself from something far more biting than that. "If you could tell me, though, wwhy am I in-in-in the infirmary? That w-ould be great."

* * *

Mal

"So, just to be clear, I'm totally going to murder him."

"No, sorry," Evie's voice is a clipped breath in her ear, and only slightly winded from the running. "You'll have to get in line and revive him before you kill him…after me, of course."

"Just promise I'll have something left to kill, and I'll be fine," Mal tosses back, and Evie gives a grim sounding laugh.

"I make no such promises, whatsoever," she responds, and Mal almost lets herself smile before she remembers the pressing matter at hand.

The daughter of the Mistress of All Evil, currently racing next to the next generation Evil Queen, ignoring all outside influences as they pushed to be the first to reach their destination. It was just like old times; if those times included being trapped in a foreign country and given no instructions or materials for survival; being persecuted by the natives for said lack of survival, thus leading to such extremes as...

"Remind me, E," Mal huffs shortly as they whip around a corner, their destination rapidly approaching up ahead. "What would attempted murder get you on the Isle? Just so I have a reference for what to expect by Auradon standards."

"Well if you succeeded in your attempt, there'd definitely be some kind of reward, and massive respect earned for you and your associates," Evie reports dutifully, not missing a beat. "Even if you failed, they'd still appreciate the attempt, though you'd probably get some nasty looks from the view who think that 'attempt' is also failure."

"Close enough," Mal muses, more to herself than to the other girl. She'd guess then, by Auradon standards, being banished from the kingdom might be a given response. That is, if she and Evie didn't get there first.

"Up ahead," Evie warns, her voice sharp and tense, and Mal slows her pace to a less desperate rush, every muscle tight with anticipation.

She's reminded of a very particular night, suddenly; only instead of Evie creeping beside her, it had been Jay. Mal shakes the thought from her head, forcing her mind to ignore the similarities and focus on whatever threat might be ahead. It becomes clear to her after a moment of listening, and she exchanges a look with Evie at the familiar voice that drifts to them.

"…just think that there's more to this that we're not seeing," Ben's voice says from ahead, and Mal stifles a groan under her breath.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" she mutters to Evie, who purses her lips tightly but doesn't say anything. "Why is he _always_ ….?"

She cuts herself off and straightens from her crouch, so instinctive she hadn't even thought about doing it, and decides to confront him herself. Evie hisses a warning, but Mal doesn't even have time to process it because she's already storming around the corner and glaring fiercely at Ben as he comes into view. It didn't matter to _her_ if he was a Prince or not; her group had been picked on far enough already without his interference, and she had cast aside her previous reservations about Auradon and its nature. She was ready to go full dragon and give the supposed hero a piece of her mind.

"What more is it that you're not seeing, Ben?" Mal snaps, even before he's fully in view. "Because it seems to me that it's obvious what's going on."

"Mal," Ben says in surprise, and he's echoed by both Evie and another girl who's standing just behind Ben.

Mal casts the other girl a dismissing glance, registering her as 'not-important enough' compared to Ben. Ben, who, for his part, manages to look appropriately guilty and startled faced with her wrath.

"I'm sorry about calling you here so abruptly," he begins, and Mal shakes her head once, her eyes flashing as she glares at him.

"No," she interrupts sharply. "You're sorry, yes, but what you _should_ be sorry for is letting this thing with Chad progress to where it's gotten."

"I quite agree with you on that point, young villainess," a voice intones in a deep and stern rumble from behind her. "Although I don't approve of your delivery."

Mal, for her part, does not flinch at the sudden growling voice, and instead turns; quickly, but calmly, to face this new threat. She finds herself staring at a rather broad shouldered man, dressed in an expensive looking suit that was decorated with no less than six or seven badges. The man wore square, thick rimmed glasses that did nothing to stem his own fierce glare, his eyes a vaguely familiar greyish green. His hair was short and neatly combed, a shiny, sandy blond color. Mal realizes, only belatedly, that it wasn't the light making his hair shiny; rather, it was the large and impressive _golden crown_ sitting on his head.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be fucking _kidding_ me," Mal murmurs, her anger sinking as rapidly as it had come, and she feels more than sees Evie rushing up behind her, the other girl grabbing Mal's hand and squeezing hard.

"Mal, Evie," Ben says awkwardly behind her. "I'd like you guys to meet my parents; King Adam and Queen Belle. Mom, Dad; this is Mal and Evie."

"You have got to be _fucking_ kidding me!" Mal repeats, and Evie's grip on her hand tightens to a near painful point.

"I can assure you that I am not kidding you," the King intones, and this time Mal does flinch, dropping her eyes immediately as he takes a slight step forward.

"Forgive her, Your Majesties," Evie quickly rescues, her voice soft and subdued; and Mal feels her hand bob slightly and deduces that the girl had just curtsied. "She meant no disrespect. We just…didn't expect to run into the entire royal family. It's an honor, truly, to meet you both!"

Mal wants to throw up, and also maybe curse someone, if the slight tingling in her fingers is any indication, but she clamps down on both of those feelings instantly. She was out of her depth here, and she was pretty sure everyone present knew it. Thank Evil that she had Evie to play princess, or else they'd be screwed. Well, more screwed than they already were.

"Oh, there's no need for any of that," a woman's voice murmurs gently. "We're pleased to meet you both. It's a shame we aren't meeting under more cheerful circumstances, but still. The pleasure is ours."

Mal narrows her eyes at the ground, but doesn't dare lift her head to face the Queen. She wasn't sure if the woman was being sincere or patronizing, and Mal doesn't know which is worse. There's a beat of silence, and Mal realizes even without looking up that she's supposed to say something here.

"Yeah," she finally mutters, her voice hard in an attempt to hide her nerves. "It sure is a shame."

It's not the best thing she could have said, but it was something, at least. Mal shuffles back a step to be closer to Evie, drawing comfort from the other girl's professional calm. She glances at Ben out of the corner of her eyes to see him shaking his head slowly, his face hidden in his hands as the other girl; Audrey, Mal thinks it is- pats his shoulder sympathetically.

"You can sit," the Queen's voice chimes pleasantly through the silence. "I've been told it could be a while."

Mal straightens at that, all her alarm bells going off. She almost lifts her head until she remembers and jerks her gaze back down to the ground, but she still can't keep herself from asking:

"What's going to be a while?"

Her voice is sharp and full of warning, and Evie squeezes her hand so hard her fingers temporarily go numb.

"The nursing staff is evaluating Jay to see how bad things are and what to expect in terms of recovery."

The answer comes from Audrey, and Mal glances over her shoulder to fix the girl with a glare.

"You're serious?" she snaps, and Audrey blinks at her, but nods slowly.

"They obviously expect him to recover," the girl continues nervously. "It's just a matter of how long and if there'd be any difficulties given…given what happened."

"And what did happen?"

Evie asks this time, and Ben snaps his head up suddenly, clasping his palms together.

"Why don't we all sit?" he suggests, in a slightly too loud, overly cheerful tone.

Mal scoffs before she can stop herself, her lips twitching as she lets Evie tug her over to a chair. They all sit; the awkward line up of Ben, then Audrey just beside. Evie sits next to the other girl, and Mal perches on the edge of her seat next to the evil princess. The King and Queen remain standing, which makes it a little easier for Mal to avoid their gazes being more at waist level now.

Evie's question goes unanswered, and they're left to sit in even more awkward silence, until the Queen breaks it with another one.

"How, uh, how are you liking Auradon so far?"

"The kingdom is lovely, Your Majesty," Evie demures before Mal can even fire her retort. "It's really an incredible experience for all of us."

"Now who's laying it on thick?" Mal mutters under her breath before continuing, at a normal tone, "It's totally great; if we're ignoring the fact that the other half of our group is currently out of commission thanks to certain members of the kingdom. Then yeah, it's _lovely._ "

There's a pained noise from Ben, which is almost drowned by Audrey's gasp and Evie's indignant: "Mal!"

"What?" Mal retorts in a sharp undertone. "I'm supposed to lie and pretend that this isn't happening? Just to be 'polite?' No," she shakes her head fiercely. "I'm not doing that."

"Those are bold words, young villainess," the King's voice says quietly, and Mal's lips twist further into a bitter sneer.

"Ah, and we can't forget _that,_ " she adds, though she's sure to keep her eyes lowered as she nods her head in his direction. "Can't forget the most important thing here is that we're all evil villains, and that somehow we should be _grateful_ to be in the presence of heroes; should consider ourselves _lucky_ to have been brought out of the pit."

"Mal, _please,_ " Evie whimpers, and the fear in the other girl's voice cuts through Mal's bitter sarcasm.

"Sorry," she says, the only part of her sincerity being directed at Evie. "I did try and warn you. I'm not good at this stuff, I just keep us alive."

No one says anything after that, not for a while, at least. Mal is relieved to have managed that much, despite the fact that it was incredibly risky for her to have said even half of what she had. The silence drags on to an almost unbearable point, and Mal is all set to try and blast the door down with her sparks when the Queen whispers;

"Is…is there anything about Auradon that you do like?"

Both Evie and Audrey draw sharp breaths, while Ben just groans, and Mal hears a thump that is definitely his head hitting the wall as he grumbles out:

"Mom _please_ stop trying to make this better; you're not making this better!"

Mal gives it some thought, and decides on the safest answer; that is, the one that would least likely upset Evie.

"The food's good," she mutters in grudging honesty. "I mean, it's better than the shit we usually eat so, yeah…you got that going for you."

The questions stop indefinitely, after that.

* * *

Fairy Godmother

Despite her reputation as the caring mother archetype, Fairy Godmother secretly hates parent-teacher meetings. She missed the freedom of simply being able to grant her children their heart's desire; to help without having to worry about being regulated and forced to align with codes that would hinder her goals, rather than achieve them. She'd managed so far, but she was certain that this meeting, in particular, would go down in her list as the worst.

She pushes open the door to the small conference room just off of the infirmary, slipping a smile onto her face moments before those gathered explode.

"What's the news?"

"I want them out…!"

"Clearly this proves that they're dangerous and shouldn't…."

"It proves that one is dangerous, any way…."

"You can't possibly expect me to believe that!"

"Fairy Godmother, what do you _know?_ "

She takes that as her cue, and clears her throat softly as the attention in the room shifts to her. "This is what we currently know, and these are the facts. There is no bias of information; this is simply what we know as we know it."

She makes sure to state that as firmly as possible, just to be sure, and when she receives no further opposition, she continues.

"The young villain known as Jay, the son of Jafar, is currently in the infirmary with severe injuries. These injuries are as such: two broken ribs, severe bruising, a dislocated shoulder, and a severe concussion."

She pauses, and waits for the reactions to subside before continuing again, forcing her voice to remain calm and unaffected.

"He is expected to make a full recovery, although it has been drawn to our attention that this is not, in fact, the first time he had been hurt in this way."

"What do you mean by that, Fairy Godmother?" Queen Belle's voice is soft and full of worry, and even King Adam leans forward; although Fairy Godmother is sure he doesn't even realize he's doing it.

"There are several underlying injuries that will make his recovery a challenge," she explains slowly, unable to keep the slight grimace off her face. "Broken bones that didn't heal right; some even going back to the developmental stage."

"Meaning?" King Adam presses, his brow furrowed in confusion and impatience.

"Well, let me put it this way," Fairy Godmother states. "If Jay had been playing Tourney for the beginning years of his life, then these are the type of injuries we'd expect to see. Bearing in mind that these injuries are also typically ones we see _throughout the season_ ; and so to find them all at once and so localized...," she falters, and manages to press on. "Not to mention the condition all of the children arrived in to begin with...well, we can assume that life on the Isle is...harsher than we thought."

"Do villains love their kids," Queen Belle murmurs under her breath, and Fairy Godmother starts, taken aback.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?"

The Queen lifts her eyes, seeming to not realize she'd spoken aloud.

"It was something Ben asked me, when we spoke last night. He wondered if villains...if they loved their children. I said..." her voice broke, a quiet gasp slipping past her lips. "I said that I was sure that they did -in their own ways. I suppose we can see in just what ways that is!"

She finishes with another soft cry, which is promptly muffled as King Adam draws her into his arms. He attempts to appear stern and aloof, but Fairy Godmother can see that he's just as unsettled by the news.

"Do we have any proof of this?" He asks in a low voice, and Fairy Godmother purses her lips.

"Nothing definitive," she shakes her head sadly. "We have no confirmed proof; no testimony from the children themselves, and so we can't say for sure if it really is...well."

She cuts herself of, unable to even think the words, let alone speak them. The few other faculty members in the room; the ones who had had the most contact with the villain children thus far, are silent as well, although it's broken with a tense huff from a corner of the room.

"What does any of this have to do with the situation at hand?"

Benjamin Kropp's voice is gruff, but he softens slightly when Fairy Godmother turns to him.

"I mean, how does this affect what those two have done?"

It's a fair question, and Fairy Godmother knows she can't be seen to take sides. But if it were up to her she'd say that it had everything and more to do with the situation, and what did schoolyard fighting matter when there were children's lives at stake? But she forces herself to remain calm as she answers.

"It may not affect things directly, but it does give an idea of just where it came from."

"In what way?"

Louis Deley's voice is his usual lazy drawl, though he, too is not as unaffected as he appears.

"We must bear in mind," Fairy Godmother insists. "Regardless of...certain circumstances...these children grew up in a dangerous world, surrounded by dangerous people. Now, I'm not saying that makes them the same by default, but if the only way they knew how to live was by violence; then how can we expect them to behave any differently to a perceived threat, simply because we've changed their location?"

"You forget, however," Kropp interjects. "These aren't just ordinary children. They are villains by blood, regardless of location. I agree, though; how can we expect them to be anything else?"

"It's what I tried to warn Ben about myself," King Adam murmurs slowly. "But he insisted on his decree, and this...this is where it's gotten us."

"Just so," Deley begrudgingly agrees, while Kropp nods vehemently, looking strangely vindictive.

"The question is, what are we going to do about it?" Queen Belle asks, and though her voice still shakes, her eyes are sharp as she glares around the room. "Send them back to the very place that made them this way? You suggest that we give up on giving chances?"

"No, but _taking_ chances; is it worth the risk?"

"I took the risk with you," Queen Belle counters her husband's argument, and Fairy Godmother can't help but smile just a little.

"There will be consequences," King Adam insists, though he has the decency to look chagrined. "If we let this go unchecked..."

"I made no such suggestion, Your Majesty," Fairy Godmother respectfully retorts.

"But we couldn't possibly allow them to remain," Kropp protests. "Especially not the de Vil boy; not after this!"

"After...what?"

Fairy Godmother barely stifles her sigh as she turns to answer Queen Belle's hesitant question. She had been hoping to ease into this part of the conversation, but Kropp's outrage had pushed them back to the start. She doesn't manage to hide her grimace, however, and she winces her way through the report.

"As I said, we don't have the full story, but part of the incident included Carlos…biting… another student."

"I'm sorry…?" Queen Belle's incredulous shock is overrun by King Adam's bellow of outrage.

"He _what_!?"

Fairy Godmother grimaces again as she vainly attempts to calm the enraged monarch, all the while casting disgruntled looks in Kropp's unhelpful direction. She _really_ hated these meetings.

* * *

Audrey

The hallway is too quiet with the adults meeting in the next room, but no one really wants to break that quiet with Mal and Evie still present. Lonnie and Doug had shown up about fifteen minutes ago, and although Doug had blushed furiously when he caught sight of Evie, the other girl hadn't so much as blinked in his direction. Audrey sighs quietly, and Ben echoes her, his head still against the wall, his face pinched in an expression of obvious grief. Audrey reaches over and threads her fingers through his, and though Ben's eyes don't open, his face relaxes minutely.

The seconds tick by, and Audrey glances down the row of chairs to the two newest Auradon arrivals. Mal and Evie sat tense and silent in the last two chairs, Mal's eyes hard as she glares at the door, while Evie's eyes flicker back and forth between Mal and the empty hallway. The girls' hands are also threaded together, though Evie looks like she's doing most of the holding, and Audrey wonders vaguely if there might be something more between the two. The thought is an interesting one, but it's not enough to really pull Audrey out of the dark mood that hung in the air.

She hates that this happened. While she had been the one to point out the flaws and realities of Ben's plan, she _had_ wanted it to work. She couldn't help but feed into Ben's excitement, and hope was contagious among heroes, after all. But this…now…Audrey wasn't so sure. It wasn't the fighting itself that made her worry- although that was still a pressing concern- it was what had caused the fights; that underlying thing that the fights had brought out.

There was a clear line being drawn, or rather, redrawn. Heroes vs. Villains. Us and Them. It was the epitome of everything they represented, and it certainly went up there on her list of the unforeseen consequences of bringing villain children to Auradon. That, and the startling implications…the instinctive feeling of _not right_ that she got whenever she was around any of the villain kids.

One could chalk it up to the obvious reason: the daughter of the Mistress of All Evil inhabiting the same space as the daughter of Sleeping Beauty. But Audrey didn't care about what the stories said of how she should feel. There had been apprehension, of course, and even now Audrey couldn't deny that twinge of fear in the back of her mind at being so close to the daughter of her parents' sworn enemy. But Mal wasn't _her_ enemy; at least, Audrey didn't think so. She hoped not.

No, what Audrey really was nervous about was the fact that the other girl was nervous, too. It begs the question, after all. What made Mal so nervous? The child of the Mistress of All Evil; the woman who could control all the powers of Hell (supposedly; her own words); the dark fae, and one who could transform herself into a dragon. All of that and more, if the various stories were to be believed, and yet _Mal_ was the one who was nervous!

All of the villain kids were, really. Which made Audrey wonder, just what were villains scared of? What could possible make the children of villains…who were supposed to be just as evil and vicious as their parents…scared?

Rapid footsteps cut through Audrey's thoughts, and she glances over in time to see Evie stiffen, and Mal stand sharply from her chair to face the threat. Because it is a threat, Aubrey realizes as she watches. Everything was a threat to them.

It's only Jane to Audrey and the rest of the Aurdadonians present, but even then, Mal doesn't fully relax. She remains standing, and after a moment, Evie stands as well and joins Mal next to the wall.

"Jane?" Ben murmurs beside her, and he stands as well, frowning as the younger girl doubles over gasping. "Are you ok? What are you doing here?"

"I'm…I'm ok," Jane manages shakily, though she makes sure to give Mal and Evie a wide berth as she moves to join the others on the chairs. "I was…whew, sorry! Um, I was asked to come here."

Audrey raises her brows in surprise, while Doug and Lonnie exchange glances with Ben.

"I didn't…" Ben begins, but then one of the infirmary doors clicks open, and out step Flo, Faun, and Merry.

"Oh Jane, good," Flo says, obvious relief in her voice as she brushes invisible dust off her pink uniform, the scrubs almost as bright a shade as her hair.

"You're here," Faun continues. "Maybe now we can finally get somewhere." She clasps her hands beneath her own green uniform, while Merry shakes her head.

"That boy," she sighs, the streak of blue in her hair bouncing with her movements, her blue uniform crinkling slightly. "I don't see how…." She's cut off with a sharp look from Flo, and Audrey frowns in confusion.

"What boy?" Evie asks, and though her voice is polite, there's something guarded in her eyes that sets off Audrey's alarms all over again.

The three young women exchange nervous glances before Faun ends up answering, reluctance in her tone as she faces the other girl.

"Uh, the son of Jafar," she mutters quietly. "If his current attitude is any indication, well, it's a wonder he's survived this long."

Evie smiles softly, obvious relief flooding her expression.

Mal simply scoffs quietly and deadpans: "That's Jay," but Audrey can see the amusement flickering in her eyes.

"But it's the de Vil boy," Flo begins in a worried tone.

And it's then that Mal's eyes harden and…flash green?...the petite girl straightening, her lips curling in a dangerous snarl as her voice growls out:

"What about him?"

All three women flinch, and even Audrey can't hide her own shiver. Because, with that expression, and the coldness in her voice…for that second Mal had become the villain from the stories; a reflection of Maleficent herself.

But then Audrey forces herself to really look, and she sees that even though Mal's voice is cold, her hand is still clenched tightly in Evie's, and the flickering in her eyes is no longer amusement. It's fear.

"That…that's not something we can…we can't tell you," Merry bursts out, and the fear in Mal's eyes flickers again before hardening into anger.

"I'm sure you could find a way to tell me," she murmurs lowly, and even Ben recoils, Lonnie, Jane and Doug all trying their hardest to remain invisible in their seats.

Evie, for her part, whispers sharply in Mal's ear, and the other girl…doesn't exactly relax, but the aura of doom does rapidly diminish, allowing everyone to breathe again. If they dared.

Another door opens then; the one to the conference room, and Fairy Godmother steps out looking torn between extremely harried and extremely angry in turns.

"What is going on here?"

The demand comes, not from Fairy Godmother, but from King Adam, and both Mal and Evie flinch, dropping their gazes to floor. Instantly whatever threat Mal might have taken vanishes, as all attention goes to the frustrated monarch.

"I don't recall there being this many of you before," Queen Belle manages lightly, though she places a hand on King Adam's arm just in case.

"We just wanted to see if everyone was ok," Lonnie supplies, rather bravely, as she stands from her chair. "We heard about what happened, so we came to be moral support."

"That's very thoughtful of you, dear," Fairy Godmother says with a slight nod. "But, however well appreciated, I did say these rooms were off limits except for approved faculty."

"Um, then am I _not_ supposed to be here?" Jane asks nervously, and Fairy Godmother sighs in visible reluctance.

"No, dear one," she says quietly. "You are staying."

"W-why?" Jane is even more nervous, and Audrey feels a hint of sympathy for the youngest of their group.

"We would like to test what kind of reaction Carlos might have to someone who is non-threatening," Fairy Godmother explains, and though she appears patient, there's a sense of that anger underlying her words. "It would appear that you are the perfect candidate."

"Thank. You?" Jane whispers, and Fairy Godmother sighs again, turning to face King Adam and Aurora's fairy descendants.

"This won't put her in danger, will it?" It's equal parts warning and request, but it's Jane who ends up answering.

"I'll be fine," she says softly, twisting her bow as she speaks. "I…I've met Carlos alone before."

"Way to go, Janey," Lonnie cheers, a mischievous glint in the older girl's approving eye.

Jane blushes even harder than Doug, though she goes pale when she notices that all the adults present -and Mal and Evie- are staring at her in shock.

"No no no," she instantly chokes out, shaking her head just as vehemently. "I mean, I found him in one of the forges earlier and…we just talked! It was nice," she adds in another shy whisper.

"He can talk?" Doug asks, and Audrey remembers that Doug hadn't gotten the memo yet.

"He can," Mal confirms icily, and Doug lifts his hands in a 'don't shoot!' gesture, eyes wide.

"Um," Jane murmurs, glancing nervously back and forth between Mal and the adults. "What is it you want me to do?"

Fairy Godmother exchanges a look with the King and Queen, before glancing significantly at the three other fairies present. Audrey picks up on the look, as does Lonnie, and Audrey stands to join the other girl, motioning for Doug to the same.

"I can see it's time for us to go," Audrey defers, and though she's disappointed, she does her best to remain polite. She blows Ben an exaggerated kiss, which he catches with a slight shake of his head and a laugh. "Keep me posted, Benny boo," she murmurs, and he nods, suddenly serious despite the dreaded nick name.

"Benny boo?" Audrey hears Mal mutter incredulously, but Audrey's reply is cut short by King Adam.

"Actually, Ben," he says, quiet but firm. "I think you should…."

"No, he should stay," Queen Belle counters suddenly, and Audrey almost laughs at the mystified look on the King's face.

"It's his decree," Queen Belle finishes, and King Adam blinks a moment before grudgingly nodding his head.

"Alright," the man says, before suddenly resuming his stern air. "But the rest of you must leave. I'm sorry. But we will let you know when…when we reach a decision."

Audrey nods her understanding, and begins to leave with the rest of the Auradon group. It's only as they near the end of the hall that Audrey realizes that Mal and Evie aren't with them, as Fairy Godmother's voice murmurs:

"I'm sorry, but that means you, as well."

She almost around the corner, but she still manages to catch Mal's reply; the girl sounding once again cold and unmovable as she deadpans:

"I'm sorry, but that's my family…."

And then Audrey is around the corner and exiting the infirmary, thinking that Auradon certainly would not survive if Mal ever decided to go jr. Mistress of All Evil on them. And also wondering, just how did the children of four of the worst villains become a family?


	13. Promise me heaven put me through hell

**Hey guys! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long…but let's face it, I know it was a good bit of a wait. Sorry about that, but hopefully this chapter will make up for the delay, and it's a long one for you so that's always good. :)**

 **To my reviews! (You know the drill, skip to the notes if you don't want to read)**

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 **dancergymnast2003: Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! And you are correct, it is their family bond, but from that outside perspective, Audrey couldn't be sure. But I was hinting at it. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: Aw, Kevin! Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so highly of this story and are enjoying it so much. And thank you for that tip about Audrey vs. Aubrey, I didn't even realize it until you pointed it out, so I went back through and fixed it up.**

 **Don't worry, there will be plenty of hugs to go around, though it will take some time getting everything sorted since everyone just insists on being so stubborn! Lol, but it will come. I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy. :)**

 **Kry Chi: Yeah, understanding the VK family concept will be a fun adventure for all the Auradon gang. ;) And it's especially fun poking at things with the VKs, since Mal especially will have had such a hard time coming to terms with it. But there will be more backstories explaining that, and I don't want to give anything away here.**

 **Thank you for the review and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Tiredandlazy: JUSTICE WILL BE SWIFT! JUSTICE WILL BE PAINFUL! IT WILL BE…DELICIOUS! (Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist the reference. You just lined it up so perfectly…)**

 **And yes, I had fun writing Jay in that moment. And it says a lot for just how much Carlos means to him, too. ;)**

 **Don't worry, justice will come for Mr. Kropp as well. *rubs hands together and cackles maniacally* I won't say the main story line is on the back burner while we get through this angst-fest, because we are still working towards it, but I do have plans. Oh yes, I have plans…**

 **It's funny you should mention it, but Tyler Layton Olson is who I'm using in this particular story as Nikhil, the son of Naveen and Tiana. (He's the curly haired boy in the cafeteria with Aziz, and Aziz calls him Nikki.) You can see him better in the 'Be Our Guest' number: he's the one right next to Doug and Ben in the purple suit.**

 **As for Aziz, he is a cut character, so as they filmed the movie, decided to cut him, and so he's ended up as a sort of 'ghost story' to tell around the fandom campfires. He has now been brought back to life, and so in Descendants 2 there will be an Aziz, but he is now being played by a different actor. I know, so needlessly complicated, lol.**

 **But anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you'll continue to read along and enjoy. :) And don't worry about the rambling, like I said, I always find your reviews amusing, in the best way!**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you will continue to enjoy.**

 **theNiceDevil: Good to hear from you again. I'm glad you loved it, and especially glad you like my portrayal of Audrey. I figured, she's a bit of a spoiled princess, but she's Aurora's daughter, so it just didn't make sense to me to have her be a total bitch, lol. And there will be some more of Mal's powers (and Evie's, later on) developing, so hopefully there'll be enough there to fascinate you some more. :)**

 **LittleMissBookwormBrainiac: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, and that you like Mal's little family remark. I agree, it is a bit sad given the circumstance, which was my intention, so I'm glad you picked up on that bit. ;) Hopefully you'll enjoy this next chapter just as much!**

 **GenderqueerWriter: Hey, it's good to hear from you again! It's totally fine that you couldn't log in, I'm glad you got it worked out. :) In answer to your question, Mal does get a rant in here. I don't know if it's 'big,' but she has some fun with it. ;) I had fun writing it, at least, lol. I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter!**

 **starflight34: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like this story so much and I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter. :)**

 **Call Me Random: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're so excited that you're screaming over this story. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying. :)**

 **Rowan: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! Don't worry, nothing can keep our Carlos down for long. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Guest1: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this so much. We'll see what's going on with everyone soon, don't worry. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **AllGlitchedUp: Haha, yes! I saw it on Fairy Godmother's billboard and was like, 'ok, are they serious?' And if they were, then which of the four is most likely to bite someone? It was a toss-up between Jay or Carlos, but Carlos won out, given both the circumstances, and the obvious connections to dogs he seems to draw. ;)**

 **And I'm glad you like Audrey in this. I mentioned before how I thought it was weird to have her be so much of a brat (mild term) in the movie, and I figured the movie's portrayal of both Audrey and Chad were just to have the stereotypical 'bratty rich kids' bad guy. So I mixed things up a bit and made them more 'real.'**

 **And Jane will make it work, in her own way.**

 **I'm really glad you're enjoying my story, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. I look forward to seeing what you do next with Detours! :)**

 **hershey201214: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! There will definitely be more backstory, and you just might get you wish soon enough. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Krestal: You didn't confuse me at all, lol. I'm glad you liked Mal's sarcasm, and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying. ;)**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Well you'll find out now! And thank you, I did end up fixing it so it should be fine for you now. It is an Aladdin reference, it's ok if you couldn't get specifics, I'll accept your prompt anyway. :) I'll sort through and let you know what end up choosing. Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **IWantColoredRain: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you will continue to follow along.**

 **Shots and Giggles: (in a loud and off-key voice) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHOTS AND GIGGLES! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! **Confetti, Streamers, Balloons, and brand new chapters all start falling from the sky****

 **I hope I managed this in time for your birthday! But if not, my above song still stands, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and don't worry at all about the late review. I was just happy to hear from you. :)**

 **Biting definitely doesn't make you bad, but it's one of those things where people sort of do double takes and go, 'wait, what?' Very scrappy kids! ;) And I'm glad you liked the slowed down pacing, I was worried that people might think I was drifting too far away from 'the main story,' but I wanted to make sure to include a lot of those unseen moments of settling in and getting used to Auradon, plus setting things up for the investigative AKs. So it makes me happy to hear that you get it, and appreciated what I was trying to do, haha. :)**

 **I hope you have an awesome birthday and that this chapter will be an equally awesome treat for you!**

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 **Ok guys, Author's Notes!**

 **First things first, it has been drawn to my attention that I rather embarrassingly mixed up Audrey's name, and changed it to Aubrey. I have since gone back and fixed where this mistake has occurred, especially in the last chapter. So, if you care enough to bother, you can go back and re-read. (If not that's cool too. I just wanted to let you know it's fixed.)**

 **And second things second, this chapter is super long! Be prepared, you may need to take a breather. Part of the length is just the reviews and notes, but don't let that fool you. A lot happens here so be prepared for that. There's another POV shift, as well as a flashback, which picks up where the last flashback left off.**

 **There's also a bunch of Disney references and other teases, so enjoy those eggs. ;)**

 **Also, little fun fact for those interested; all this has happened over the course of two days. That's right, the VKs are only on day 2 of their Auradon journey, and next chapter will mark Day 3! (I know, I did cram a lot of angst and torment and pain and feels into two days. No, I am not a sadistic sociopath. I am a writer. There's a difference...)**

 *****And now, the standard disclaimer: *clears throat and adopts deep announcer voice* This program contains material that may disturbing to some viewers, including and not limited to: Mentions of Child Abuse and Neglect, crude and vulgar language, descriptions of injuries and blood, Hospitals, Mental Health issues such as panic attacks, suicide, and the loss of a child, as well as mentions of bullying, and some joking discussions of death. Viewer discretion is advised.**

 **Despite what I've stated above, it's not all angst. But still, it's there, so be warned.*****

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 ***I will continue to accept guesses and prompts for the game, but after this chapter the prompts and guesses will be closed, and the answer and winners will be revealed in the next update.***

 **On that note, enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to hearing what you all think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Jane

If Jane had a dollar for every time she'd confronted a dangerous villain, she'd have enough money to buy one of the Princess Sized candy bars from Happy's candy shop…. And it still wouldn't be enough to make her think that being this close to Maleficent's daughter when she was throwing glares in every direction, was worth it. Jane almost wishes she'd been told to leave with everyone else. Even though that would mean she wouldn't be able to help Carlos, and why was it always _her_? Couldn't the world just give her one break?

"I'm sorry," her mom murmurs quietly to Mal and Evie. "But that means you, as well."

Jane flinches when Mal's eyes flash green, and the older girl levels Jane's mom with a hard glare.

"I'm sorry," the girl deadpans coldly. "But that's my family in there that you're talking about, and there is no way in _Hell_ that I'm letting you keep me from them. Not after all the other shit you've pulled on us so far."

"Mal," Evie whispers sharply, but it's Flo who bravely steps forward, and Jane marvels at the young fairy-woman's courage.

"I understand that it's frustrating," she says gently, her pink curls rippling with her words. "But it really is for the best if…."

"This isn't up for debate," Mal snaps, and Jane stifles a whimper as she creeps back a step, the fae-girl's eyes lighting with green. "Evie and I are both staying right here."

Jane sees Evie purse her lips, and the Isle princess' grip on Mal's hand tightens further. Jane glances over to see how the adults were reacting, and she grimaces slightly as she takes them in. They're not taking it well at all, if the hard anger in King Adam's eyes in any indication. He's not quite growling yet, and Jane is pretty sure the only reason for that it Queen Belle, who has looped her arm through his; and despite the casual appearance of the gesture, Jane is almost positive it's the only thing keeping him in check.

Queen Belle, for her part, looks only sad and worried, although she tries to hide it; and Jane can see that her own mother is also trying to hide her worry behind a stern expression.

"Mal…" the older fairy begins, but Mal shakes her head once, cutting her off.

"Say otherwise," the girl challenges, and everyone present tenses, and Jane sucks in a sharp breath at the unspoken 'I dare you' that hangs heavy in the air.

Jane thinks the suspenseful match might go on forever, but then Evie leans over and whispers something in her ear, and although Jane doesn't catch all of it, she does catch the quiet: "Please," that Evie murmurs as she pulls away. Mal glances over at the adults again, and she suddenly seems to notice King Adam's angered expression. Her own gaze falters, the green in her eyes fading away as suddenly as it had come.

Mal works her mouth a few times, and Jane is startled to realize that the other girl is actually _afraid_ , and when her voice finally comes out, it's quiet and subdued; the complete opposite of the fire that had literally been sparking at her fingertips.

"We'll stay out here," Mal offers lowly. "We aren't leaving…but we'll wait here until we can see them."

"That will be alright, won't it?" Queen Belle says hopefully, glancing over to the three- four if you counted Jane's mom herself- fairies.

"I suppose it will have to be alright," Flo chirps shortly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as though she were keeping herself at bay.

"If we've finally gotten that settled," Faun harumphs sternly. "Jane, dear, if you could come and help with Carlos?"

Jane glances nervously to Mal and Evie, both girls giving her equally calculating and threatening looks in turn.

"Um," she whispers, shuffling her feet nervously. "You mean, you still really do…you want me to do what?"

She tries to sound confident and committed at the end, but it falls short and just comes out as a whimper.

"We'll explain inside," Merry says, her blue stained lock of hair whipping about as she, too, glances anxiously towards the young villains.

"Ok," Jane murmurs slowly, realizing that it must be something a lot more serious that she'd thought, if they were afraid to say anything in front of Mal and Evie.

Although, Jane reckons, even if it were good news instead, she doubted they'd say that either, given the way Mal had reacted.

She follows Flo, Faun and Merry into one of the rooms, her mother and the King and Queen close behind. The door clicks closed and Jane notices that it's not, in fact, an infirmary bedroom she's in; it's one of the adjacent 'conference' rooms, where the nurses and other medical staff can discuss the patient, while also observing said patient through the one way window. Jane glances nervously through the window now, and feels her breath catch as she takes in the sight beyond.

Carlos is lying on his back in the hospital-style bed -perfectly normal, by the standards- except that Jane can see the light green straps that crisscross over his torso, forcing him to be still. And it's not just that; Jane knows that something is clearly wrong, and looking closer she sees Carlos' fingers, clutching the rails attached to his bed so tightly that she's surprised they haven't snapped. But it's the look on his face that really seals things in her mind: he's entirely pale, his eyes screwed shut in such extremes that she can actually see the little wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and brow. His back is arched slightly against the bed, and Jane is certain that if his mouth were open, instead of a clenched line, he'd be screaming.

"Why is he tied to the bed?"

It's Queen Belle's horrified voice that asks Jane's question for her, and though the girl wants to know as well, she can't tear her gaze from the window.

"It was a safety measure that I was neglected to be told about," Jane hears her mom answer, and she's relieved to hear the tightly concealed anger in her tone. Her mom was just as against this as she was.

"Whose safety?"

And Jane is surprised to hear her own voice this time. She barely recognizes it, her tone carrying a foreign weight to it that makes her sound almost...dark.

"You are aware," King Adam rumbles behind her. "That this boy _bit_ another student. I think the precaution is justified."

"He was provoked," Jane hears her mom reply tensely. "And we mustn't forget that Jay was also brutally attacked."

"Only after he did the same to a group of defenseless students!"

"And are we to condone the behavior of those students, then?" Her mom retorts. "And condemn Jay and Carlos their actions, solely on their heritage?"

"Ok," Jane interrupts, her eyes still glued to the silent horror playing out behind the window. "What are we doing to help Carlos?"

"Help him?" King Adam sounds genuinely confused, as though Jane's words had physically thrown him off track.

"You don't see that?" Jane replies, indicating the window before her.

Carlos' lips are parted now, his face twisting in obvious pain. She can't hear through the window to tell if he's started screaming, but the sight alone sends a pang of something sharp and desperate through Jane's chest.

"What can I do?" She asks, her voice shaky but determined as she finally turns to face the fairy-women. "What do you want me to do for him?"

"He's panicking," Faun explains quickly, seeming relieved that Jane had brought the conversation back around. "We need you to calm him down, and hopefully keep him calm."

"More than that," Flo adds. "We were hoping to find out more about his medical history...if he even has one."

"You mean, what it was like on the Isle?" Jane surmises, and Flo nods carefully, her lips pursed.

"But the important thing," Merry finishes. "Is stopping him from panicking before it gets any worse."

"Yes," Flo affirms sternly. "And we've already wasted enough time bickering so, Jane, if you don't mind..."

She indicates the door, and Jane is suddenly cripplingly nervous.

"What am I supposed to do? What do I even say?"

"Anything and everything," Merry says, unhelpfully. "The point isn't in what you say, it's the assurance that he's not alone. You're there for him and that's all that matters."

"Ok," Jane mutters, her hand on the doorknob when King Adam begins to protest behind her.

"Are we sure we should be sending her? The boy is dangerous, and could very easily be manipulating all of us..."

"How dare you when suggest such a thing!"

And then the door closes behind her, cutting off the rest of the Queen's outrage.

The room seems even more stifling on the inside than looking at it from the outside had made it appear. Jane takes a few steps forward and instantly feels dread creeping up as she realizes that it really is only her and Carlos here. And it's not like the workshop. Somehow this is even worse, and she almost can't bring herself to look at him, let alone _talk_ to him.

There's a chair against the wall, and Jane lifts it up, carrying it over to sit a few feet away from the bed. Carlos' fingers still clutch desperately at the rail, and Jane feels a strange urge to reach out and hold his hand. She shakes that aside, and tries to find her voice as his face tightens further.

"Hey Carlos," she whispers, and even though her voice is anything but loud, Carlos flinches violently, and his eyes fly open to lock with her own.

Jane's breath catches for a second time, as she sees up close the absolute terror reflected in those dark eyes. He doesn't seem to truly be seeing her, but she tries to smile reassuringly.

"I guess those dinner plans will have to go on hold, huh?" She manages, even letting out a shaky laugh.

He blinks at her, his own breath coming hard and fast, the monitor portraying his heart rate in frantic staccato beeps.

"Sorry," she mutters, dropping her eyes to his hands. "I knew I shouldn't have tried for a joke. I'm only funny _looking_ , not funny acting."

The rapid beeping tapers off, thumping a little less harshly than before, and Jane notices that his breathing almost sounds normal.

"Speaking of acting," she adds, watching his hands closely. "Have you thought about joining the school's drama program? You're so good at making faces you could totally fit in, easy."

Carlos makes a strangled noise, and Jane feels a pang of dread as she lifts her head up to look at him. He's still gripping the rails of his bed, and, despite the slowing of his breathing, he's making a low, keening sort of sound between his teeth. Jane nervously glances around the room, but there's nothing that can help her here. Even the adults are trapped behind the one way glass, and Jane doesn't think that knowing they were there would do anything for Carlos except make him even more anxious.

"Ok," Jane whispers, more to herself than to Carlos. "Ok so talking is a bust, I mean, that figures since half the time I don't even like to hear myself, so I can't imagine what you must think right now..."

 _Not helping_ , Jane's brain interjects sharply, and Jane lets out a frustrated sigh.

 _I know it's not helping! You're not helping either!_

 _And somehow still doing a better job at it than you are_ , **that part** of Jane's brain snidely crows. So what other brilliant ideas do you have?

Jane groans quietly, but it comes out more like a muffled hum, and she suddenly gets an idea. It's a stupid one, to be sure, but it's all she's got.

{"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you…"}

She half hums, half sings the familiar tune, and she's all set to think herself ridiculous for even _trying_ to sing, when Carlos' fingers twitch on the railing. Jane pauses in mid verse and leans forward in her chair, not daring to speak for fear of breaking the spell. She examines him closely, and although the monitor is no longer screaming its beeping, Carlos' eyes are still wide and unfocused. Jane draws a slow breath and starts again, a little softer and slower than before.

{"Fate is kind: she brings to those who love, the sweet fulfillment of their secret longing! Like a bolt out of the blue, Fate steps in and sees you through. When you wish upon a star your dreams…come…true…."}

Carlos' head turns to face her just as she finishes the song, and Jane almost wants to shout with relief as she notices his eyes are clear, and maybe just a bit confused as he blinks at her.

"Wwhat?" he croaks, and his voice is low and hoarse in the silence of the room.

"Finally," Jane sighs, a shy smile pulling at her lips. She knows better than to mention anything of his earlier panic, and so she finishes with: "I was waiting for you to join in."

"I…," he falters, trying to sit up before the restrains kick in and force him back down. Jane can actually _see_ the panic creeping back into his expression, and she bursts out with the only thing she can think of.

{"It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all, it's a small small world!"}

Not the best thing, admittedly, but it serves its purpose just fine in Jane's opinion. Carlos jerks like something had stung him, his head whipping around to face her so quickly it makes her own neck hurt to watch.

"Nnno!" he barks out, his eyes hard and cold as he glares at her.

Jane can't help it…she laughs. Carlos' glare just hardens even further, which only makes Jane laugh harder, doubling over in her chair as she tries to speak.

"Too think," she gasps between breaths. "Everyone is so afraid of the villain kids, but all this time we had a secret weapon!"

"Ja-ja-jane," Carlos growls, but even that is halfhearted in the face of her laughter.

"All we had to do was sing," she murmurs, giggling softly as she finally straightens.

"Any sane per-person would _de-spise_ that ssong," he mumbles, still glaring.

"I guess you'll have to find a better excuse then," Jane says.

(And here, dear readers, is where Jane suddenly experiences the truth of the phrase 'foot in mouth,' a saying which here means: 'to say something foolish, tactless and embarrassing.' For example, Jane put her foot in her mouth when she said that Carlos would need a better excuse than hatred of a song to prove his sanity, therefore implying that the boy himself was in fact, not.)

"Wha-wha-what did you ssay?"

Carlos' brow furrows, but it's anything but confusion in his eyes as he stares at her. Jane works her mouth silently a few times, mentally kicking herself for her carelessness.

"No, no," she finally chokes out, her voice a desperate gasp. "I didn't mean it like that, I mean, I don't think you're...you're not..."

"Crazy?" Carlos supplies in and undertone, his eyes carefully guarded and his expression blank as he stares at her. "I-is that the wword you were looking ffor?"

"No," Jane denies quickly, shaking her head. "I mean, yes. But not you! You're not like..."

 _Stop talking_ , Jane's brain interjects, and Jane wisely shuts her mouth, clamping a hand over her lips just to be sure. But the damage is already done.

"I'm nnot evil?" Carlos snaps, his lips curling hatefully as he speaks. "I'm nnot like Cr-ruella? No-not crazy?"

His hands tug viciously at the straps tying him to the bed, his eyes wild and furious as he bares his teeth in a grimace. Jane feels a flicker of fear for all of two seconds; because that's how long the emotion lasts on his face before he's wiped it away. When he speaks again, it's in a quiet monotone, and his eyes are black pits as he stares straight ahead.

"I bit Chad."

Jane blinks, her brain unable to process the sudden shift, and therefore completely misses his words.

"You what?"

He turns to face her, his eyes hard and his face even more so. Jane resists the urge to look away, and instead forces herself to meet his gaze and really look at him. She knows this, she knows that what he's doing is just a mask to hide behind, but even then it still takes effort to willingly hold that stare.

"I _bit_ Chad," he repeats slowly, unblinking. "He-he attacked me and Jay, sso I bit him. Ho-how's that for crazy?"

"That doesn't make you crazy," Jane counters, and Carlos scoffs, his lips twisting further. "It doesn't," she insists, although she is shocked that she's trying to reassure him his behavior.

"Wh-wh-what does is make me, th-then?" He retorts mockingly, and Jane blinks again at his bitter tone.

"It makes you someone who was scared and hurting," she says. "And didn't have any other options for getting out of the situation."

Carlos says nothing, seeming to sink into the bed, his fingers limply picking at the straps.

"Carlos?" Jane asks softly, fiddling with her bow as she tries to get around the question she has to ask. He doesn't look at her, and somehow that makes it even harder. She starts to speak again, and changes gears at the last moment, asking instead in what she hopes is a light tone:

"Did you make a habit of biting people you didn't like on the Isle?"

Carlos blinks, and he clearly hadn't expected that question. Jane bites her lip, nervously anticipating a negative reaction when he suddenly grins, chuckling mischievously.

"Yeah, wh-when I was five," he admits with another laugh.

"Really?" Jane doesn't have to feign her surprise.

Carlos snorts, his eyes glinting in amusement as he turns to her. "How else wwas I supposed to keep away the per-per-perverts?"

Jane feels her jaw drop, her eyes widening as she stares at him in horrified shock. Her reaction makes Carlos hesitate, his brow furrowing slightly before he pushes on.

"An-anyway," he says slowly, and Jane fights to regain her composure. "I stopped wwhen I hit eight."

"Why then?" Jane asks carefully, and Carlos grins again, a hint of pride in his voice as he answers.

"Cuz then I ffound my knife," he reports. "And no-no one wwanted to screw with me then."

"What about Cruella?"

 _You really need to shut up now,_ Jane's brain snaps at her, and Jane agrees, grimacing when Carlos flinches.

"Wwhat about her?" he mutters, his eyes flickering everywhere except at her.

"I mean," Jane tries to clarify, as gently and tactfully as she could. "What if you'd gotten hurt? Wasn't she worried about you?"

"Oh yeah, she was wo-worried," Carlos replies, in a bitter tone that implies the exact opposite. "If she even reme-me-membered I existed…if she noticed that I wwas even mmissing at all."

"What?" Jane whispers, shocked at the revelation.

Carlos shakes his head, grimacing as he continues to pick at his restraints. "N-nothing," he says shortly. "Just…part of Cr-ruella's crazy included rrandomly forgetting things. Ju-just so happened I wwas one of the things sshe tended to fo-forget."

"I'm sorry," Jane says, and Carlos frowns at her, looking strangely small and lost and not at all the vicious villain.

"Sorry?" he asks, blinking slowly. "Wwhy?"

"I…" Jane blinks a little harder, and she knows that if she started crying now it would only make things worse. She shakes her head, drawing a breath before changing tactics. "What was it like? On the Isle, I mean. Not…not _her_ ," she makes sure to clarify. "Um, but just…in general, what…what was it like?"

She's taking a risk here, a huge one, and she finds that it has everything to do with the boy in front of her, bringing out a side of Jane she never knew existed. But she thinks, that it might just be a good thing. For him, at least, she'd try anything.

"Wh-what was it like?" Carlos repeats, frowning in thought. "Wwell, a normal day for me: wa-waking up, doing chores…um, then mmaybe work on a pro-pro-project, or else cause ttrouble with Mal, Jay and E-Evie."

"I guess you guys got into a lot of trouble, then," Jane muses, and Carlos laughs, his lips curling mischievously.

"Nnot too much," he murmurs, but there's something in his eyes that makes Jane think she does _not_ want to know what that 'much' entailed.

"What else?" she asks, relaxing into the conversation a bit more. "Is there a school on the Isle? What are the other villain kids like?"

"Woah woah woah!" Carlos chuckles, lifting his hands as far as he was able. "Sslow down!"

"Sorry," Jane mumbles, blushing slightly. "I was just curious."

"Yes, there's a school; Dr. Fffacilier is the pri-principal."

"Yikes," Jane shivers, and Carlos nods solemnly.

"Yyeah," he agrees lowly. "Major yikes. Ssame for any o-ther villain kids. We didn't know them all; di-different circles and sstuff …but e-e-everyone wwho was smart avoided getting in our way."

"Do you miss it at all?" Jane murmurs quietly, and Carlos frowns down at his lap, his eyes narrowing.

"Y-yes and no," he finally says slowly. "I miss…." He trails off, biting his lip in that strangely vulnerable way.

"Sorry," Jane says again, fidgeting with her bow. "I didn't mean to…."

"Nnno," Carlos says, shaking his head and blinking up at her. "It's fine. I wasn't…no. I don't mmiss it."

But there was something about his eyes that weren't quite right, a glimmer of something heavy and sad that Jane couldn't fully interpret. Then it was gone, replaced by suspicion as he frowns at her.

"Wwhy are you asking me all this?" he asks, and the suspicion is thick in his voice. "A-are you sspying on me?"

"Well if I was, I wouldn't be talking with you so openly, right?" Jane covers with a shaky laugh. "I mean, the whole point of spying is to be secret…"

"Yeah b-but this is Au-au-auradon," Carlos mutters, his eyes darting to the door behind her, his whole body tensing suddenly.

"Should I be offended by that?" Jane wonders out loud, but Carlos is completely silent, his eyes locked on something past her shoulder, and Jane can see that despite the stiffness in his body, his hands tremble slightly as they grip at the sheets around him.

"Carlos?" Jane starts to ask, leaning forward in concern, but her voice is cut off by another's, the newcomer sounding overly cheerful and optimistic.

"Hello again, Carlos," Flo greets, and Jane turns to see that Faun and Merry are squeezing into the room behind her, the other young fairy-women obviously concealing something behind their backs despite their attempts to be subtle.

"What…?" Jane starts to ask, but then she glances at Flo and the other woman gives her a significant look, and Jane inwardly groans as she realizes this is the part where she's supposed to keep Carlos calm.

"Do you think we can try again, sweetie?" Flo continues to Carlos, and Jane turns back to Carlos as he makes a low noise in his throat, his lips bared in a grimace as he glares at the pink haired fairy.

"I don't think he likes that nickname," Jane mutters quietly, and Carlos' eyes flicker to hers in acknowledgement before snapping back to the other fairies.

"Well nickname or no," Faun retorts, her half greened curls bouncing as she shakes her head. "We're going to need him to cooperate."

Carlos' lips pull back further, and that low noise intensifies in volume until Jane realizes with a start that it's a _growl_. Carlos de Vil was actually growling at the three fairies, and Jane acts without thinking, leaning forward and curling her fingers loosely around his. He flinches, but he's stopped from fully pulling away by the restrains, which tighten imperceptibly with his movement.

"Carlos," Jane says slowly, making sure to keep her voice low and calm, keeping her hand over his despite his growing terror. "It's alright. They're not going to do anything to hurt you, they just want to do a few tests."

"Bu-bu-bu-bull shit," he hisses through clenched teeth, his eyes not leaving the other three fairies.

"Language," Jane scolds instinctively, and his head cocks in her direction, a brief flicker of amusement passing across his face.

"Easier to ssay than puuum-mpkin sseeds," Carlos mutters, his head nodding slightly with the effort, and Jane can't help but laugh as she recalls that moment in the hallway, as he teased her for her Cinderella themed swears.

"It's a better alternative than _that_ ," Jane counters haughtily, and Carlos' lips twitch even further.

"Bbut seriously?" he insists through a laugh. "Pu-pu-pum-pumpkin seeds?"

"Oh, as if yours was any better," Jane faux scoffs, and Carlos' eyes crinkle as he laughs.

"At least mine's an ac-ac-actual wword!" Then he straightens, his expression darkening as he points without looking in the direction of the three fairies. "And ddon't think I don't ssee you!" he snaps coldly.

Jane starts, and looks up to see the three fairies, comically frozen in mid-step a few feet away from them. Jane exchanges a helpless look with Faun before returning her attention to Carlos, who smirks at her conspiratorially before continuing their argument.

"I sstill call bull-bull shit."

"Fine," Jane huffs, and she would have crossed her arms if it weren't for the fact that she kind of liked holding his hand. "But let it be said that I do not approve of your use of such language, and that you could _consider_ that I wouldn't lie to you."

"Nnnoted," Carlos agrees solemnly, nodding his head, but Jane can see the slight furrow in his brow as he stares at her.

"Hey, think of it this way," Jane offers lightly. "If they really wanted to hurt you, they couldn't do anything with me right here. Plus, my mom's on the other side of that door, too, so…witnesses," she whispers in a sly undertone- or at least, what she hopes is a sly undertone.

Carlos blinks at that, seeming taken aback by her suggestion before he suddenly smiles at her, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"That is tr-true," he murmurs, seeming pleased that she'd even thought of such an idea. "Even by Au-au-radon standards."

"Does that mean…" Flo begins hesitantly.

"That you'll let us do what we need to?" Merry finishes slowly.

"That dep…ends on wwhat you need to do," Carlos answers, and his voice is hard again, his face once more a closed off mask.

Jane gives his hand a reassuring squeeze, silently letting him know that she wasn't going anywhere. He doesn't exactly relax, but his expression shifts into something only _slightly_ less intimidating. He grips Jane's hand and nods once, and Jane can see him visibly tense as the fairies draw closer.

"Ok, now we're getting somewhere," Faun sighs in a relieved tone as she draws two needles from their hiding place.

Instantly, Carlos recoils, and Jane doesn't need his barely audible curse to know that this wasn't going to end well. She grips his hand a little tighter, pulling at it gently in an attempt to get him to focus on her.

"It's ok," she tries to reassure. "It's just a shot; I get them all time when I go to the doctor."

"Wwhy would you let them sshoot you?" Carlos gasps, and while his words might be a tiny bit amusing, Jane knows better than to laugh.

"It's a vaccine, Carlos," Flo explains for her, the other woman's voice stern but not harsh. "One of several basic vaccinations that everyone receives in the beginning of their lives to keep them from getting sick."

"Y-y-yeah, we didn't have an-anything like that on the Isle," Carlos murmurs skeptically, and Flo purses her lips, Faun and Merry exchanging worrying glances behind her.

"I know," Flo says shortly, and Jane can feel the disapproval radiating from her voice. "That's why we need to do these now, and hopefully, with regular checkups and boosters, it will be enough to counteract that."

Carlos makes a low humming noise in his throat; not quite a growl, but he definitely didn't approve of the idea.

"It's only two, Carlos," Jane whispers, trying for a reassuring smile and not a condescending one. "Remember what I said? They can't do anything to hurt you with me here."

"Yeah bbut _does_ it hu-hurt?" Carlos counters, and his accusing glare is cast in the direction of the three fairies.

"Of course it doesn't," and all its variants were mumbled by the fairies, and Carlos' glare hardens, his head shifting in Jane's direction.

"It feels like a small pinch," Jane answers, and Carlos shifts nervously in the bed, eyeing the needles in Faun's hand before nodding slowly.

Merry and Faun sigh in relief, while Jane makes sure to grip Carlos' hand a little tighter as Flo draws closer with the needles. Carlos goes completely still on the bed, his eyes widening nervously and his jaw clenching in a tight grimace.

"Are you right handed or left handed Carlos?" Flo asks, not seeming to notice the boy's reaction.

Carlos is silent, clenching and unclenching his jaw slowly, although his eyes flicker to Jane's, and she quickly explains.

"The shot will make your arm a little sore, so they don't want to put it in the arm you'll be using all the time," she says.

"Exactly," Flo confirms with a slight nod, taking another step closer. "So then, Carlos, left or right?"

Jane feels Carlos' fingers twitch beneath hers, curling over her fingers to tap against the back of her hand. She glances down to see Carlos' thumb and index finger making an obvious 'L' shape against the bed, and Jane glances back up at Carlos, slightly surprised.

"You are? Really?" she asks, and then she realizes that the other three fairies are staring at her in confusion.

"Sorry," Jane says, blushing slightly before answering Flo. "He's left handed."

"Of course he is," Faun mumbled under her breath, and Merry shakes her head, her single blue lock flashing like lightning beneath the hospital style lights.

Carlos tugs at Jane's hand, and Jane looks over to see him giving her a sideways look out of the corner of his eyes, although his attention was still on Flo as she uncapped the first shot on his right side.

"Oh, um…." Jane hesitates, unsure if it was a good idea to tell him or not. It probably wasn't, but Flo was already rolling up Carlos' sleeve, and judging by the flickering of his eyes, he needed a distraction.

"Well," Jane finally says, keeping her tone light for his sake. "It…A _long_ time ago, people used to think that being left handed was sign of the devil."

Carlos' eyes widen, and Jane thinks at first that it's because Flo has just stuck him with the first needle, but then she realizes that his gaze is still on her, and she shuffles nervously in her chair.

"It was just a superstition," she tries to appease, but Carlos' eyes crinkle in the corner, and Jane realizes that he's actually _amused_ by the idea. It takes her aback, and so it takes her a moment to notice that he was tapping her hand again. She looks down and see that he's once more changed the shape of his fingers; his thumb and pinky finger extended, his middle three fingers folded over so he was making a 'Y.'

"Why?" Jane guesses, and he nods, his eyes still crinkled in amusement. "Um, well…I don't even know where it started…but uh…they used to say that the devil baptized his followers with his left hand. And then from there everyone who followed him would greet him with their left hands…it's silly I know," she tries to laugh, but the topic still made her uncomfortable.

Carlos cocks his head as Flo prepares the second needle, and Jane tries to think of what she'd said that might confuse him, or was something he might not have heard of.

"Devil…?" she tries, feeling foolish for the suggestion. "I mean, there aren't any, I mean _are_ there any…devils on the Isle?"

Carlos gives her a look, and she blushes again, dropping her gaze to their still entwined hands.

"I mean," she stammers, unable to meet his gaze. "Aside from…."

 _Remember that talking thing we said you shouldn't be doing?_ Jane's brain interrupts. _Yeah, you're still doing it._

Instead of being offended, Carlos simply laughs, and Jane looks up in surprise to see him nodding at her, his eyes alight with mischief. He taps her hand and Jane looks down to see his fingers wiggling in her grip, and she recognizes his intentions instantly. With more than just a hint of reluctance, Jane lets go of his hand, and Carlos flexes his fingers before they begin moving again, spelling out a word.

"C…" Jane murmurs as his hand cups in an obvious 'C' shape.

"H…" His index and middle finger extended to the side, almost like a flag.

"E…" An open fist shape; four fingers curled down with the thumb placed underneath.

"R…" Index and middle finger crossed just over each other.

"N…" A closed fist shape, with index and middle finger exaggerated by his thumb tucked just underneath them.

"A…" Another fist shape; four fingers folded down over his palm, with his thumb pressed against the side of his hand.

"B…" Four fingers extended, pressed together; with his thumb against his open palm.

"O…" An easy one; Carlos' hand making a clear 'O' shape with fingers pressed together.

"G." Jane finishes, as Carlos extends his index finger and thumb in another sideways 'flag.'

"Chernabog?" Jane repeats the finger-spelled word, equally surprised at both the information, and the fact that Carlos knew sign language. "They put the Chernabog on the Isle?!"

"They did what?" Flo snaps, though the fairy-woman was far from angry, her eyes wide with shock. "I don't believe…how on earth did they manage that? Whose idea was that?"

"Well they weren't about to allow _him_ to stay anywhere _near_ Auradon," Faun gasps indignantly, while Merry continues Flo's shock and whispers:

"But how did they even imprison him there?"

Jane glances to Carlos, who looks down at his restrained hands rather pointedly, then in the direction of the three fairies.

"Oh," Jane frowns, following his gaze and glancing up at Flo. "Is there any chance you could…I mean it's gotta be obvious right? That he's not dangerous and that we're doing good together?"

Flo makes a face, but nods at Jane's words. "Yes…." She drawls slowly, and with reluctance. "But…."

"But what?" Jane counters boldly, and she _really_ needed to stop getting caught up with negative influences. "He's safe and I'm safe, so the restraints aren't needed."

"You do recall that he confessed to biting Chad?" Faun argues sternly, and Carlos' expression hardens.

"Yeah, but he didn't bite you," Jane defends. "And you were poking him with needles."

"That is a fair point," Merry mutters, and Flo and Faun cast the younger woman sideways glares.

"Please?" Jane tries for a convincing smile, and nudges Carlos subtly, hoping he'll take the hint. "Couldn't you just check and see?"

Flo turns to Carlos, and Jane glances over surreptitiously to see that Carlos had indeed, taken her hint. His head cocked just so, his dark eyes wide and his lips slightly parted, Carlos' expression was somehow the perfect blend of innocent, hopeful and pleading; made all the more effective by the slight furrow in his brow which seemed to imply an underlying sense of anticipating disappointment.

Jane has to purse her lips to keep from laughing, but the three fairies gasp and coo, and exchange looks with each other until Flo finally sighs.

"I don't see why we can't go check," the pink haired fairy mumbles, and Carlos face lifts, looking like a little kid who'd been told he could eat chocolate before dinner.

The three fairies shuffle out of the room, and not a moment after the door clicks shut, Jane dissolves into laughter.

"I can't believe…that face!" Jane gasps between breaths of air and peals of laughter. "I mean it; you should join the theatre department!"

Carlos gives her a skeptical look, but even he can't help but chuckle, and Jane quickly cuts her own laugh off as he works hi mouth to speak.

"Guy-guy-guy-guys don't do theatre," he scoffs, and Jane lifts a brow at him, smirking in amusement.

"You know, there was a time when _only_ guys used to do theatre."

"Ssure," he mutters sarcastically, and Jane huffs at him in exaggerated frustration.

"Wwwhat would I even do in theatre?" He retorts, and Jane chuckles again.

"You'd do what you're absolutely great at," she giggles. "Make faces."

"Ffaces like..." Carlos starts to shift his expressions, but before Jane could start teasing him, and even before he'd completely changed his face, the door slams open and cracks against the wall.

Jane jumps, but is stopped by Carlos' hand, which reaches and grabs hers, squeezing hard while the boy himself pales in his bed.

"M-m-mal!?"

* * *

Evie

Mal is pacing again, and it makes Evie more nervous that her encounter with the King and Queen of Auradon. The other girl stalks back and forth before the two infirmary doors, her fingers lighting with sparks every few steps. Evie perches anxiously on the edge of her chair, grateful that despite the fact that Ben was still present a few chairs down from her own, the Prince was too wrapped up in his own problems to really notice them.

Mal makes a low noise of disgust in her throat, snapping her fingers at her sides and causing the sparks to cascade across the floor in a sudden flash of green. Evie starts, glancing over at Ben, but his head is his hands, his lips moving but no sound coming out that she could hear. She doesn't bother trying to figure out what he's doing, and instead inches further out on her chair and calls out to Mal.

"Mal!" Evie hisses, and the other girl casts a glare over her shoulder, her eyes just as violently green as her magic.

"What." Mal growls lowly, and Evie purses her lips, casting another pointed glance in Ben's direction.

"Can you please at least…sit down?" Evie asks quietly, and Mal's eye narrow, her lip curling in a sneer.

"No," she snarls, turning sharply on her heel and continuing to pace, the sparks still snapping harshly from her fingertips.

Evie winces but tries again. "You know you really shouldn't-"

"I. Know."

"Mal please," she's practically begging now, and she _hates_ begging. But desperate times and crap. "Please come sit. For me?"

It was a stretch, and pushing so many of the other girl's boundaries, but Evie had no other options at hand. She wasn't about to get up and try and physically make Mal sit down. Aside from the fact that she didn't want to draw further attention, she also wasn't feeling particularly suicidal.

"Please," Evie whispers again, and Mal's fingers snap a few more times before the girl makes her way over and sits down roughly on the edge of the chair beside Evie.

Evie doesn't relax, doesn't dare breathe the sigh of relief that's bubbled up into her chest. She just sits, eyeing Mal cautiously out of the corner of her eyes to try and determine how volatile she was. She decides it's worth the risk, and slowly slides her hand over, reaching to place it over Mal's, which clenched tightly against the arm of the chair. Evie makes it all of two inches when Mal jerks her hand back, and she looks up to see the other girl's eyes harden.

"I wouldn't," Mal mutters, her free hand snapping sparks against her thigh.

"I trust you," Evie whispers back, allowing the full weight of the meaning into her voice.

Mal's lips quirk in a mirthless smile. "I wouldn't do that, either."

"Mal," Evie insists quietly, and Mal's eyes flicker, before the other girl sighs.

"Yeah, ok."

Evie smiles in quiet victory, and takes Mal's hand again. It wasn't just a desire for contact. Touch had never been an easy accomplishment for either girl, but Evie knew Mal needed something to ground her and keep her from losing control, and Evie was more than willing to be that thing. If only because she needed it too.

"Is it true? What you said?"

Ben's voice comes from nowhere, and both Mal and Evie jump slightly, though Mal is the one who recovers first, seeing as the question is directed at her.

"I say a lot of things," Mal deadpans beside her, and Evie looks over to see the other girl is glaring at Ben, eyes alight with both magic and anger. "And I'd like to think that almost none of it is true, so…" she shrugs coldly, and Evie anxiously glances to see how Ben was handling being addressed so irreverently.

The Prince was startlingly calm, his expression almost pained as he stares at them. "What you said about…about the food." He grimaces, but pushes on. "Is it true?"

"That we eat shit?" Mal challenges, raising a brow. Evie sighs, and Ben winces at the curse, but nods slowly.

"Mal," Evie cautions softly, but Mal is already going.

"I mean, the majority of it is still pretty decent, even if it's trash," she states in blunt tones. "If you're lucky you can usually score the best of the stuff that comes over. If you're fast enough, and get there first, or happen to know the right people."

Her lips twitch at that, and Evie rolls her eyes, although she's stifling a grin too.

"What about you then?" Ben probes cautiously, his bros furrowing slightly as he stares at Mal. "Which group did you fall in?"

"My mother was the Mistress of All Evil," Mal scoffs lightly, her eyes narrowing. "Do I _look_ like the kind of person that wanted or needed to know people?"

Ben's eyes flit over Mal's tense form once, before he quickly (and wisely, in Evie's opinion) shakes his head. "No," he murmurs.

"No," Mal agrees sharply, but then something passes across her face and she glances down, and Evie only just catches her muttered words: "Which could also explain why she was always so disappointed in me."

"What?" Ben asks, and Mal snaps her head up to glare at him again.

"I said," she growls lowly. "That if anything, I was the one that people needed to know."

Evie bites her lip, fighting the urge to slap a gag over Mal's mouth so that she could take over and keep things civilized.

"Right, sorry," Ben concedes with a nod, before he cocks his head. "Was?"

"What?" Mal snaps, and Evie shoots her a warning glare out of the corner of her eye.

"You said your mom was the Mistress of All Evil," Ben says, frowning in confusion. "Is she not anymore?"

Evie feels more that sees Mal stiffen, and the other girl's head jerks slightly, like she had started to look over her shoulder and then stopped herself midway.

"I didn't say that," Mal denies immediately, and Evie tightens her grip on Mal's hand.

"When you were talking about knowing people," Ben tries again, leaning forward in his chair a bit. "You said…."

"No, I _didn't_ ," Mal says coldly, and Evie winces at the shock of magic that stings her hand, traveling sharply up her arm in intense pins and needles.

"Sorry…" Ben starts to say, but Evie shakes her head.

"It's fine," she cuts in quickly, glancing again at Mal and wincing at the dark look in the girl's eyes.

"Totally fine," Mal snaps, and Ben grimaces, turning to Evie with a definitely pained look now.

"What, um…what about you, Evie?" he asks, and his tone suggests that he regrets even this question.

"Mom and I are royalty," she can't help but brag just a little, slipping her hand from Mal's and discreetly stretching the still tingling limb. "So things were a little easier for me in some ways, and harder in others."

"Like what?" Ben asks curiously, and Evie can practically feel his relief in the normal conversation. "Did you have a castle?"

Evie sees Mal flinch out of the corner of her eyes; and the movement is so subtle and so quickly hidden that if it weren't for the fact of the subject and Mal's connection to it, she wouldn't have even noticed it at all. But Evie gives Mal's hand a quick squeeze anyway, and makes sure to keep her tone light and even as she answers Ben.

"There's only one real castle on the entire Island, and it's Maleficent's."

"Oh," Ben says, paling slightly as he realizes the implications.

"Yeah," Mal mutters bitterly, her eyes narrowing at the ground. "Oh."

"It wasn't your fault, M," Evie murmurs to her, but Mal either doesn't hear or chooses not to hear, because she straightens and casts another glare in Ben's direction.

"Why do you even want to know all this stuff?" Mal snaps sharply. "Is it just so you can do _more_ experiments on us?"

"I…no," Ben defends, frowning slightly. "This isn't an experiment, or a test or anything. I really wanted to give you guys a chance, here."

"Noting the past tense," Mal fires back, her hands clenching in nervous fists at her sides.

"I didn't mean it like that," Ben says hastily, and it comes out almost sharp. Evie lifts a brow at him, and Mal's lips twitch in sudden amusement.

"So the proper Prince isn't so proper," she taunts, and Ben flushes with embarrassment, a hand going through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he says instantly, and Mal's amusement fades just as suddenly. "I didn't meant to snap."

"You should though," she mumbles sullenly under her breath. "You should always mean it."

Evie sighs, and turns back to Ben in an attempt to run interference before Mal started sparking again.

"We appreciate what you're trying to do…Ben," she adds as a cautious afterthought. "It could certainly be going better…"

"Maybe we're not singing enough," Mal muses quietly.

"But we do appreciate it," Evie continues sincerely, offering the Prince a soft smile. He returns it, and Evie wonders fleetingly, if she should try and pursue this.

Then one of the infirmary doors opens, and the three half fairies come rushing out, looking flustered and frustrated in turns.

"Of all the improper…" one of them huffs, shaking her head.

"No vaccines at all? No proper healthcare whatsoever!" another adds.

"…a wonder any of them survived this long," the third agrees.

"If he ran around biting everyone, I can see at least how Carlos managed," the one in blue says quietly, and a small giggle slips past her lips.

"Yes, well," the pink clad woman harrumphs sternly, stopping the laughter. "That is why he was restrained in the first place."

Evie stiffens, and Mal snarls low in her throat, her eyes lighting green as her face twists into a vicious and terrifying expression. Ben straightens, too, and is the first out of his chair to face the fairy-women.

"What?" he says, but his voice is too strained and quiet to be heard.

"But he does seem to do well with Jane, at least," the fairy with the green hair says. "I think it's fair to consider…."

"I'm sorry," Mal says, in sweet tones that make Evie shiver slightly to hear. "Did you say you _restrained_ Carlos?"

* * *

Jay

Jay wakes again to a blissfully quiet room, and it instantly makes him tense and suspicious. He blinks open his eyes and stifles a groan as the harsh white light assaults him once again. The annoying colorful women are gone, and he considers that a relief, at least. His only problem is that he still hadn't seen Carlos, and he's finding it harder and harder to ignore the paranoid part of him that says the other boy is dead. Granted, his paranoia had been part of what had allowed him to survive the Isle for as long as he had, but right now it's the last thing he needs.

"Hey slugger," a voice says from too close beside him. "Good to see you finally awake. I was sure you were down for the count but the fairies insisted you'd be fine."

"Of course I'm fine," Jay grumbles, glaring as he sits up to face his unwelcome visitor. "I'm offended you'd even think otherwise. As if those _prissy_ princes could actually do worse than anything I've had on the Isle."

He scoffs at Aziz's scandalized look, feeling a twinge of anger with makes his sneer harsher than he intended. He's bracing himself for the other boy to start spouting shit about his perfect life in Auradon, but Aziz just blinks a few times and gives a halfhearted and over dramatic sob.

" _I'm_ offended you think so low of royalty," the other boy murmurs. "I happen to be a prissy prince myself, you know."

"Yeah, right," Jay snorts, but the other boy simply lifts a brow at him, and Jay blinks as he remembers just who Aziz is. "Yeah," he mutters in begrudging agreement. "Right."

"Come on, don't be like that," Aziz grins at him. "Junior Royal Grand Vizier isn't anything to sneer at, either."

"I will murder you in your sleep if you don't leave right now," Jay growls, but Aziz just grins wider.

"No can do," he quips cheerfully. "I've been assigned as your, how do you say **_'haris,'_** as it were."

"You're my jail keeper, then?" Jay snaps irritably, crossing his arms.

"What?" Aziz falters, his grin lessening slightly. "No, I said guard. They just wanted me to be here to keep an eye on you and make sure you were ok."

"Mh-hm," Jay hums skeptically. "Which basically translates to prison guard."

"That's not what it means at all," Aziz grumbles, entirely deflated of humor, much to Jay's satisfaction.

"Why you?" he asks, not bothering to hide his disgust. "What, they think just because we happen to be from the same land and story we'll suddenly be best friends?"

"I…think that was the idea, yeah," the other boy admits ruefully, rubbing the back of his head before dragging his palm across the side of his face.

"Right, so if we're done living in fairy land," Jay sneers, pushing himself up and away from the mattress, ignoring the sudden spike of pain. "I'm going to go and see Carlos now."

"You sure about that?" Aziz replies, a skeptical smirk on his face. "You do have broken bones."

"Like that's ever stopped me before," Jay retorts in an undertone, sitting on the edge of the bed and trying not to throw up as everything pitches painfully to the left.

"Ok, but at least go in this," Aziz murmurs, and Jay opens his eyes- not even realizing he'd closed them- to see Aziz drag over a weird looking chair attached to four large wheels.

"The fuck?" Jay croaks out, and Aziz glances up at him. "I am not going to be carried around in that thing…especially not by _you,_ " he makes sure to add, glaring down at the other boy.

"It's called a wheelchair," Aziz explains, and Jay has to at least give the guy credit for not being a condescending dick. "And you can push yourself in it, I don't have to do anything except stand back and watch. And maybe point and laugh," he finishes with another grin.

"Fuck you," Jay deadpans, and Aziz laughs.

"Thanks, but you're not really my type," he chuckles, his eyebrows lifting significantly.

"I will kill you," Jay promises solemnly, and Aziz nods, still laughing.

"In my sleep," he says. "Yes, I've heard."

"No," Jay counters, shaking his head and making a face. "You lost the right to be killed all peaceful in your sleep. Now I'm just going for straight up murder."

"Poisons the way to go for that then," Aziz offers with a helpful nod.

"Who said I was a poison kind of guy?" Jay retorts, lifting a brow of his own. "Maybe I'd like to watch you bleed."

"Totally gonna slit my throat then," the other boy murmurs sagely, still nodding. "As long as you do it right," he says firmly, pointing at Jay with a stern frown. "I don't want any of that shit you see on T.V., make me choke on my own blood and junk."

"Fair enough." Jay points back. "And I don't do any of my assassinations half ass so you're fine."

"That'll be a mess to clean up though," Aziz goes back to his musing tone.

"You're right," Jay grimaces, shaking his head back and forth in thought. "Might just have to find a really painful poison then."

"Or you could strangle me," Aziz gasps, his eyes lighting with the idea. "You wouldn't get to watch me bleed, but I bet I'd squirm a lot."

"You just might be on to something," Jay grudgingly admits.

"Ok, good! So it's settled," Aziz smiles, and extends a hand to Jay. "When should I expect you, because you know, I gotta make sure someone can still feed Raja when I'm dead."

Jay starts to fire back his own response, but he realizes with a sudden jolt that he's laughing too, so hard in fact, that he can't actually draw a breath. He straightens from his doubled over position, and fights to compose himself, to get air back into his body and scowl again. But he finds he can't maintain the glower, and grins in spite of himself and the pain, reaching out and clasping Aziz's arm in a firm grip.

"You are one sick son a bitch," he manages through his laughter, and Aziz cracks up as well, returning his grip with one of his own.

"Happy to oblige," the other boy replies easily. "Now, if we're done arranging my murder, why don't I see if we can't go and visit Carlos?"

* * *

Belle

Belle had been accused of many things in her *ahem* 42 years; insane, a prude, a book worm, a freak, and more. And, when she'd first met Adam the accusations had ranged from things such as witchcraft, to bestiality, to Stockholm syndrome. She and Adam still laughed about the last two from time to time.

But never had she been accused of not caring.

That is, until now.

"What exactly do you intend to do about this?"

"We can't allow the situation to get any more out of hand than it already has."

"I suppose you're suggesting we simply wash our hands of the effort?"

"…was a noble idea…."

"Noble, but naïve."

"Well no one could have possible guessed it would be like this…"

"I could have guessed. In fact, I think I did."

Belle peers across the table at the dissenting voice, and can't quite hide her frown as she takes in Benjamin Kropp. The man wasn't wrong; he had been one of the strongest voices against bringing the villain children into Auradon. The man wore an expression that equal parts smug and dissatisfied, but it was the outright glare the Fairy Godmother was directing at him that prompted Belle to speak up.

"Have you experienced any trouble from the four?" She asks, certain to keep her voice calm and measured.

"Well, I only have the two boys in my class," Kropp replies, a slight hesitation in his voice that Belle does not miss.

"And have you had any problems controlling them?" Adam rumbles beside her. His sudden presence in the conversation startles a few, but Belle merely grimaces at his choice of words and continues to wait for an answer.

"The son of Jafar has been…neutral at best," Kropp hedges further, only just keeping himself from squirming under the combined royal gazes. "I catch him giving me sullen looks every now and then, but he has yet to give me any trouble."

"And…Carlos?" This tentative query is posed by Fairy Godmother, and Kropp's face twists into a vicious expression.

"The de Vil boy is another matter entirely," he all but spits, his lips curling with contempt. "Disrespectful and arrogant, he tried making excuses for his lack of participation, as though he were entitled to special treatment. And then when I finally do manage to get him to participate, he openly mocked me in front of the entire class!"

Belle blinks at this, because, despite the fact that she hadn't actually gotten to know the boy, the image the biology teacher painted was strikingly different from the image she had seen through the infirmary window. Even Fairy Godmother seems caught off guard, as the older woman straightens, her eyes widening as she turns to the man.

"I haven't heard any reports of these incidents," she says, then pauses, adopting a thoughtful tone. "Although, granted, I hadn't thought to check…."

Belle sighs quietly to herself, understanding the Fairy Godmother's dislike of such meetings. Adam is just as quiet beside her at the head of the table, but she's certain that it's only because he knows, as she does, that if he opens his mouth anything he says will be either a growl or a roar. She eyes her husband subtly, noting the tight crease in his brow. Definitely a roar, then.

"You mentioned you do not have a class with the girls," she cuts in, attempting to keep things on track. "If you do not teach them, then who does?"

Louis Deley clears his throat softly from the chair a few places down from her. "That would be me, Your Majesty," he deadpans in his usual slow drawl. "I teach chemistry to both Mal and Evie, and I believe Professor Thatch will be teaching all four children History, when the time comes."

"Thank you, Mr. Deley," Belle acknowledges with a brief smile. "How do the girls behave in your class?"

Mr. Deley sighs low and long, but it's not anger or frustration in his voice. (Although, Belle had never really heard him give any sort of inflection other than that flat drawl, so it was hard to tell.)

"I've had no trouble; at least, not in the way Kropp seems to have," he says. "Evie…is a strange one," he finally settles on, after a pause. "I do not know if she is incredibly smart or incredibly ignorant. She has not turned in any assignments to me, and yet I see her copy them down at the end of class. If I call on her to give an answer, she feigns cluelessness and gives such a response that I wonder if she should even be in a class at this level."

Belle frowns, and she sees Fairy Godmother do the same. But the biology teacher wasn't finished yet, shaking his head slightly in what Belle interprets as amazement.

"And yet," the man continues lowly. "When I look at the notes she takes, it's the opposite. She takes such detailed notes, and understands the concepts so well, working out the problems even before I complete them on the board…Her notes tell me she should be in an advanced class. But for some reason, she is hiding that."

There had been something bordering excitement in the man's voice as he praised Evie's accomplishments; the tone only obvious because of the way it drops at the end into disappointment.

"And what about Mal?" Fairy Godmother asks, frowning, and Belle can see the others at the table also frowning as they ponder over what he'd said.

"Mal doesn't even try," Deley sighs, shaking his head again. "She would do well if she simply applied herself. She does take some notes, but I suspect that the majority of them are copied from Evie's, given that every time I look at Mal's notebook, it's full of doodles and sketches. Very well done doodles and sketches, to be sure," the man shrugs a shoulder. "However I don't think my class is the right one for her."

"Alright then," Aladdin chimes in for the first time, a satisfied grin on his face as he claps his hands together. "Now we're making some progress: just have Mal do biology with Jay, and since Kropp is having trouble with Carlos, he can do chemistry with Evie."

Adam hums gruffly, not appreciating the way the younger man spoke so out of turn, but Belle does see some merit to his suggestion.

"Will that hinder any progress they have already made?" she asks the teachers. "Academically, I mean."

"As long as Carlos can keep up in class and I have no…difficulties," Deley murmurs. "I don't see a problem on my part."

"And Mr. Kropp?" Belle continues, turning to the biology teacher. "Do you have any objections to this idea?"

"As much as I would appreciate having the opportunity to teach in a more civil environment," Kropp replies slowly. "I do not think it's right to simply move de Vil to another class and allow him to go unpunished for the disrespect and the disruptions that he has caused to my class."

Belle frowns, but Adam hums again and speaks before she can.

"A fair point," he murmurs, inclining his head in acknowledgement. "Especially given the recent circumstances."

"In regard to that," Anita breaks in quietly. "The circumstances themselves were not _entirely_ one sided."

"If what we've heard is true," Charming finally speaks for the first time as well. "Our son is, regretfully, responsible for the current condition of the young villains."

"While we're not condoning the actions of either Jay or Carlos," Cinderella is sure to add. "It is nevertheless Chad's actions that have directly caused harm to both himself and the other boys."

"I would hardly call an instance of childish teasing to be adequate provocation for _biting_ someone, however," Kropp objects sharply. "Nothing is adequate cause for that. I'm surprised at your lack of outrage, Charming. After all, it is your son who is requiring stitches."

"I can't help but wonder," Belle catches someone say. "If this could have been avoided if we'd taken the children from the Isle when they were younger."

"Have we taken them?" She counters, calmly, but firmly. "It was my belief that we were giving these children a chance at a good life."

"And where was all this goodness before?"

Belle starts at Aladdin's intrusion, not just because of the interruption itself, but that his voice has taken on a mocking and slightly darker tone than his usual upbeat tone.

"What?" She blurts, rather ungracefully.

Jasmine shoots her husband a sharp look, but the Agrabah prince was already going, leaning forward slightly in his seat with a bitter smirk playing at his lips.

"Don't tell me you _forgot_ ," He says with exaggerated disappointment. "I'm the only one who remembers?"

Belle glances to Adam, but he's just as quiet, if not quite as confused as she was. The rest of the members present are equally subdued, and Aladdin shakes his head with a wry chuckle.

"Well, I guess that's no surprise since you're all _so_ old!" He murmurs thoughtfully. "You know forgetfulness is the first sign of aging…."

"Aladdin!" Jasmine interrupts sharply, a soft flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks as she attempts to derail him.

"Sorry!" he shrugs easily, clearly not ashamed in the slightest. "I can't help it."

"I think I see where Aziz gets it from," Adam murmurs softly to Belle, and she glances to him in quiet reproach.

Aladdin hears, but he simply shrugs again. "Guilty," he replies with a smile, which is wiped away in an instant with his next words. "And so…are…you," he says lowly, practically glaring around at the assembled board.

" _Aladdin!_ " Jasmine cries, horrified, as Adam fights to remain seated.

"What is the meaning…" he begins, but the younger man has already turned his gaze to Fairy Godmother.

"You say we should have taken them sooner; intervened when they were younger," he says. "But you seem to have forgotten that we had that chance, and refused to take it. Not just ignored it; _refused_ it."

"I'm sorry?" Fairy Godmother tries to protest, but it's halfhearted as best, and Belle can see from the expression on the woman's face that she knows exactly what Aladdin was accusing her of.

"The Isle didn't just magically pop up overnight," he continues in a much more serious tone. "We had all of them, here. The villains, the henchman…more importantly, we had the children. And instead of reaching out with all our 'good intentions' and 'well-meaning naïveté,' we throw them all onto a secluded island prison."

"It was necessary for the safety of everyone involved, and that included the villains," comes the automatic protest from Belle's mouth, which speaks despite the fact that her heart and brain knew he was right.

"Who would have taken in the children, anyway?" Kropp throws out.

"And what would we have done with the villains? Simply let them roam free among us?" Adam snaps.

"And how would we have chosen who could stay or go?" Fairy Godmother points out, though she too, looks to be torn amongst herself.

The protest continues for a few more tense moments, but Aladdin doesn't waver, simply waits with his arms crossed until everyone falls silent. He draws a slow breath, closing his eyes a moment as though deciding whether he should speak again or not. He does, opening his eyes and peering around the table once again.

"King Adam," he says quietly, and his tone is once again a respectful one. "Do you remember what it was like before Belle came? When you were still a beast?"

Belle sucks in a quiet breath, and though Adam remains calm on the outside, she could feel him wince at the question.

"I don't remember much, actually," he admits in an undertone, his gaze even as he stares at Aladdin. "I try not to think too much at all about the earlier days before Belle. It was a rather dark time for me."

Aladdin inclines his head in respectful acknowledgement before moving his gaze over to the Charmings.

"Cinderella," he says slowly. "You remember, of course. What it was like for you living with your step family."

Prince Charming straightens indignantly when Cinderella flinches, but the woman places a hand on his arm, and nods at the Arabian prince.

"Of course I remember," she murmurs softly. "I could never forget."

There's a deeper pain in her eyes, and Belle knows what she must thinking of. Not just her step mother, but her step sisters; how Drizella was still on the Isle and just how close Anastasia had come to being placed there herself. Aladdin knows this as well, and offers her an apologetic look along with his respectful nod.

"Anita," he says next, and his voice is so low it almost couldn't be heard. "I know how you feel." He leaves it at that, nodding with empathy to the woman before turning his gaze once more, this time to the room at large.

"I could go down the list of all the royalty of Auradon; name the things they went through before finding their happiness and true love and everything. But honestly, I don't know how many of them even remember it. How many just don't think about it, or have shoved the memories away, or if they only have good memories of their lives and none of the bad."

Aladdin pauses, and Belle presses her lips together, beginning to realize what he was doing.

"Well, let me tell you this," he continues quietly. "I remember. I remember being nothing more than a street rat to the people of my kingdom. I remember how it feels to starve, to not have anyone looking out for me except for me. I remember having to resort to lying, and cheating. Stealing…and worse."

His eyes flicker to Jasmine, who simply sits in a state of shock, completely caught off guard by her husband's sudden turn.

"I remember what it was like before Jasmine," he continues solemnly. "But of course, everything's ok now because I did meet Jasmine. Charmed my way into her heart and now I could never want for anything!" The bitterness is back in his voice, but it's not as harsh, tamed by sadness.

"It's a good thing she gave me chance, huh?" he says, lifting his eyes to stare around the room. "Good thing she didn't just see me as a thief and throw me in jail or something. I mean, after all, what kind of people lock other people away to live in seclusion based solely on black and white prejudices?"

Belle has to fight to remain composed, despite the way her heart was throbbing and her stomach clenches as Aladdin's gaze shifts to she and Adam at the head of the table.

"Oh, that's right," Aladdin says softly, dropping his eyes to the table. "The heroes. That's who."

* * *

 _Carlos_

 _"So, the puppy's bark isn't worse," the girl drawled. "You know, you should do that more often."_

"Do wha-what?" He growled suspiciously.

 _"Bite."_

Carlos didn't quite know what to say to that, but judging from the relieved and slightly excited looks on Jay and Evie's faces, he could only assume he'd passed some kind of test to earn her approval. He would have felt relief himself, but the adrenaline had finally left his body and he could only slump weakly against the wall as she circled to his right side.

"This'll hurt. Don't scream," she said, and it was all the warning he got before her hands were on his shoulder. There was a sharp, loud **pop** , and his shoulder flared with renewed pain. He jerked violently, but remembering her words, he brought his hand up and bit his fist, muffling the sounds that escaped his mouth.

"Ok, my job is done," Mal said, clapping her hands together officially. "Now get out of my basement."

"Mal!" Evie cried, shocked. Even Jay seemed a bit startled at her abruptness, though he didn't try to retort.

"What? You wanted me to fix him; he is fixed." Her mouth twitched as she said those last words, and if his shoulder wasn't still throbbing thanks to Leroux, Carlos would have let her know just how clever he thought her dog comments really were.

"His wrist is still broken," Evie tried, but Mal shrugged a shoulder.

"That one's not on me."

"But-"

A sudden thud from above them cut into Evie's protests, and all four children froze. Evie turned a shade lighter, and even Jay looked slightly squeamish as a chorus of scrabbling sounds drifted down through the boards, along with a low rumble like thunder.

"Mal," Evie said, her voice a hoarse whisper, but Mal raised her hand quickly and silenced her, her eyes locked on the trembling ceiling.

"Sh…" Mal hissed, and Carlos thought she was shushing the other girl until it turned into: "…it," and he recognized it as a curse. "Shit!" Mal whispered again, and Carlos couldn't help but flinch from his corner.

"Mal…" Evie tried again, but the scrambling sounds stopped suddenly, turning into muffled clicking; footsteps.

"Ma-a-al!" A woman's voice echoed, a lilt in her voice that turned Mal's name into a song. It was too bright and cheery for the atmosphere, and that alone terrified Carlos far more than if it had been yelling.

"Fuck." It came from Jay, but his voice was almost as hoarse as Evie's.

"Ma-al!" The song was shorter, a clipped note filtering through the false cheer.

"Should we…?" Evie muttered, her lips barely moving as she motioned towards the exit hole above Carlos' head.

"No," Mal said, finally stirring from her stupor. "No, just…stay put. I'll deal with her."

"What about the new kid?" Jay asked, and Mal frowned, glancing at Carlos impatiently.

"He's not the new kid."

* * *

Carlos

"M-mal!?" Carlos blinks, caught off guard by the girl's sudden appearance in the room. It wasn't just that it was unexpected; it was the fact that the locked infirmary door literally burst open, slamming so hard into the opposite wall Carlos was certain the paint had chipped from its surface. The fact that Mal was every bit as fierce and terrifying as she had appeared when he'd first met her on the Isle, all rough edges and cold brutality.

And of course, the most important bit in Carlos' mind: the fact that her eyes were glowing bright with green fire, that same sinister green dripping dangerously from her hands to spill across the tile floor.

Carlos struggles to get as far upright as he can, gripping Jane's hand hard to keep the other girl from getting up. Evie rushes in just behind Mal, and Carlos thinks that maybe it would be ok and Evie could calm her down before….

"You."

Carlos flinches at Mal's voice, cold and yet absolutely furious as her eyes snap to Jane, who squeaks out a whimper from her seat.

"What do you think you're still doing here?"

"Mal," Evie tries softly, but Mal's eyes harden even further at Jane, who glances to Carlos in terror.

Carlos hesitates a moment, trying to gauge just how bad this was and if anything Jane said would make it worse. He casts a quick look in Mal's direction before nodding imperceptibly to Jane, tapping her hand to get her attention and fingerspelling the word:

'Careful.'

Jane nods her understanding, and turns slowly to Mal, not letting go of his hand as she manages to answer.

"I'm keeping Carlos company," she attempts to say, Mal scowls sharply, and her eyes flash an even brighter green.

"Out," she growls, and Jane pales, standing so quickly from her chair that it scrapes painfully across the floor, the force of her movements causing Carlos to lose his grip on her hand.

He knows better than to try and reach for her again, but he still has to stifle the action, instead clenching his hands into tight fists and biting the inside of his cheek hard to keep from calling out to her. Jane scrambles desperately for the door, aided by Evie, who offers the girl a tight, but reassuring smile before closing the door carefully behind her.

Only once the door is shut again does the fire leave Mal's eyes, but it still sparks at her fingertips as she moves closer to the bed. Carlos sets his features in what he hopes is a firm and unwavering look, but Mal is focused on the green straps that cross over his body, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I am going to kill whoever did this to you," she states calmly, her fingers snapping against her side and showering sparks across the tile.

"Mal," Evie murmurs, and though her voice is stern, Carlos can see the worry in her eyes.

Mal ignores Evie completely, her gaze once again drawn to Carlos' restraints.

"Mmal," Carlos tries, attempting to keep his voice level despite the way it shakes just a bit. "I-I-I-I'm ok, sse? I'm not hu-hurt; they didn't hurt mme."

He makes sure to emphasize that last bit, and something close to relief but not quite there passes across Mal's face. Then she presses her lips together, her eyes narrowing as she snaps her fingers a little sharper than she had before.

Evie makes a soft sound, and Carlos tries and fails not to freak out. The restraints don't completely break apart, but they loosen enough that Carlos can work his own way free, and he presses himself against his pillows as he draws a slow breath.

"You-you-you can do magic nnow?" he mumbles dazedly, and Mal blinks, staring down at her hand expressionlessly.

"I guess I can," she replies lowly, and Evie groans weakly.

"Hades help us all," she hisses, and Mal's lips twitch, a far more normal spark in her eyes.

"This'll be _fun_ ," she says, and Carlos shakes his head sharply, eyes wide.

"No no," he denies quickly. "No it w-will not."

"All we need now is Jay," Mal continues as if she hadn't heard him. "And things'll be ok."

And, just like a trained demon, Jay's voice rings out from behind the door, muffled but growing louder as he nears.

"…swear to all that is evil, Aziz, if you say one more thing…."

"One more thing," another voice answers, before a rough slam is heard, followed by a sound that is half laugh, half wince.

"Ow-how!" the voice groans. "Ok, I won't say anything more about how you look just like my grand-father when he…."

Another slam, and this one reopens the newly closed door, and the boy from the cafeteria staggers backwards through it, unable to catch himself before falling. Somehow he turns it into a roll, and manages to more or less make it to his knees before he doubles over again, this time with laughter.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it!" he chuckles, beaming widely up at the figure still in the doorway. "You just make it so easy!"

"This is…not what I meant," Mal mumbles, and Carlos glances over, catching the weird pause in her voice and noticing with alarm that she looks almost as breathless as the boy; her lips pressed tightly together and her face pale as she shifts just a little closer to Evie.

"Hey everybody," the newcomer greets, standing and straightening his Auradon jacket. "The party can now begin, because the fun has arrived."

"For the love of Hades, Aziz," Jay groans, and he's suddenly in the room, leaning heavily on some kind of cane that's tucked under his arm. Carlos draws a sharp breath that seems too loud, and Jay's eyes flicker up to his before quickly looking away.

"Hey, Carlos," he murmurs, and Carlos swallows hard, trying to decide if the churning in his gut was from relief or anger.

Jay clears his throat, and Aziz glances back and forth between the two, his eyes dark and thoughtful.

"Oh," he says softly, and an almost indecent look crosses his face. "Oh I _see_ …"

"Shut up," Jay threatens lowly. "Or I will skip the strangling and go straight to snapping your neck."

"Worth it," Aziz whispers back, and Carlos ignores the strangeness of the boy's presence, and takes advantage of his recovered mobility. He tucks his feet up and on one smooth motion, yanks off one of his shoes and chucks it as hard as he can at Jay's head.

"Y-y-you _bastard_ ," Carlos growls, as Jay flinches to the side and only barely ducks under his second shoe. "I thought…y-you…fucking…a-asshole!"

"Carlos," Jay starts to say, but Carlos reaches back and yanks his pillows out from behind him, chucking those at Jay, too.

"I'm sorry!" Jay tries, sucking in a breath and wincing. "I know, ok? I ditched you, I left you because…because I was being an asshole. I was being selfish and that's that. I'm sorry." He hobbles further into the room, and Evie moves to give him space while Mal straightens ever so slightly, a warning in her eyes as she glares at Jay.

"I'm sorry," Jay says again, this time to Mal, before his eyes lift once again to Carlos. "I know I let you down and that it's going to take more than just this stupid Auradon apology to make it…right. But I had to say it."

Then a soft smirk twists his lips, and he murmurs:

"I literally had to say it; part of Fairy Godmother's detention assignment involves learning to say a proper apology."

"Damn it, Jay," Aziz whispers before Carlos can even begin to process what just happened. "Just fucking kiss him, already!"

That does something. Jay swears hoarsely, and Mal and Evie exchange stunned and unamused expressions in turn.

"Where the hell did you find this one?" Mal snaps, and Aziz clears his throat, lifting a hand from his place on the floor to wave at her.

"Hi," he says with overt sarcasm. "'This one' has already met you, remember? The cafeteria yesterday. At breakfast." He turns his head to wink at Carlos again. "And that one stole my food. Ringing any bells?"

"Sorry," Mal deadpans, unimpressed. "I don't make a habit of remembering insignificant encounters."

"Oh!" Evie hisses triumphantly, and the ensuing appreciation of the burn (especially from Aziz) is almost enough to distract Carlos from the fact that Jay was still staring at him expectantly.

Almost.

* * *

 **Yes, a cliffhanger. Because this damn thing was long enough as it is and I've got to save _something_ for next chapter! Feel free to let me know how much you hate me in your reviews! **

**\- Raven**


	14. Interlude: Rotten across the Universe

**Sorry guys! This is not an official update, just something fun I put together for April Fools to keep you entertained.** **It's a bit late for Fools, I know but enjoy it anyway** **while I…continue writing the actual It's Only True in the Stories chapter.**

 ***Screams* I do not have writer's block my writer just hates the clock!***

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoy my latest bout of insanity, and I will have the 'actual' update for you soon, I swear.**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

'Wizard Weezies.'

"Ok, so just to be clear, no matter what the hat says, we're still going to stick together right?"

"You kidding? What else would it say for us? We aren't the children of Azkaban for nothing!"

"But it's not a guarantee…."

"Guys, focus! It doesn't matter what the stupid hat says, we're Slytherin! Rotten to the core! And we are getting the damn Elder Wand either way."

"Easier for you to say, Mal. You're practically the heir itself."

"Shut the fuck up, Jay."

"Firs' years! Firs' years from Azkaban gather 'round!"

Mal blinked up at the giant man that was herding them towards the Great Hall. She wondered idly, if it would be a bad idea to kill him, as she tried to figure out if his singling them out was intentional or just his natural stupidity. Jay jabbed an elbow in her side, and she almost attacked him back until she realized it wasn't an attack. He was pointing out something up ahead, and she lifted her chin to peer over the crowd, and almost stopped dead at the sight.

"Well shit," Carlos mumbled behind her. "They really pegged the 'Great' in 'Great Hall,' didn't they?"

They really had, Mal had to admit. The whole thing was illuminated in light; not just because of the torches decorating the walls, but from the _legit actual stars floating from the ceiling and holy fuck was that the actual sky outside?!_

"Ok, that's pretty cool," Evie murmured softly, and Mal nodded, suddenly speechless. There'd been nothing like in Azkaban, of course. Just perpetual cold, and dark and screaming and _please don't please I'm sorry I didn't meant to wasn't my fault please!_

Mal shook her head, swallowing hard against the bile threatening to rise in her throat. It was over. They were out now and that's what really mattered. That and….

"Holy shit is all that food real?"

Jay's voice jerked her the rest of the way out of her shadowed thoughts, and she followed his gaze past the staring students to take in the sprawling tables that were, sure enough, full of food. Her mouth burned it was watering so hard, and she was just about to start hexing people to get to the nearest plate when suddenly an ancient voice spoke:

"Welcome, students. Before we begin the sorting ceremony I would like to say a few words. Bubble; noxious; olden, tweak."

The applause that thundered through the hall was nowhere near appropriate for that pathetic 'speech,' and judging by the grimaces and confused looks from her companions, they thought the same. Only the delusioned Hogwarts students seemed genuinely amused and pleased with the words, and Mal caught one of the nearby students murmur:

"Classic Dumbledore."

Dumbledore. That explained it. The sick feeling was back, but it was accompanied this time by a hard twisting knot in her chest.

"Did she just say Dumbledore?" Jay hissed, and Mal could tell by the dark tone in his voice that he was thinking the same things she was.

She nodded, and Jay swore, causing a few of the nearby students to flinch.

"I think I just reshuffled my list," he murmured, and Carlos chimed in from her other side, just as dark.

"I _definitely_ reshuffled mine."

"Oh come on guys," Evie tried. "It's not going to have to come to that."

"I hope it does," Jay mumbled, but he left it at that, mostly because no one wanted to push Evie into snapping (the girl could be downright _vicious_ when provoked), and also because that hat had suddenly made its appearance.

Mal straightened on the bench, focusing her magic and sending a small shock through each of her crew. Evie made a face at her, while Jay muttered curses and death threats under his breath. Carlos shook it off with a little less certainty, but he glared at her all the same. Mal jerked her head in the direction of the front of the hall, the sorting hat's voice just able to be heard singing its weird song.

"It's time," she hissed.

"Oh, yay," Evie squealed, and somehow Mal didn't think she was being sarcastic.

"Rotten to the core guys," she prompted. "Don't blow this."

"Please," Jay snorted. "What do you think's gonna happen? Like we'd honestly get anything other than…."

* * *

"Gryffindor!"

* * *

Professor McGonagall choked into her cup, pumpkin juice spilling rather unattractively down the front of her robes.

"Congratulations, Minerva," Dumbledore said, and the Head of Gryffindor House didn't doubt that he was serious. But she thought a worse word never applied, especially in this case.

The boy looked just as stunned as she felt, and she supposed it would be a given, considering he surely should have been anywhere else. More specifically, he should have been…

* * *

"Way to fail at life, Jayden."

"Fuck you Mal, I didn't _ask_ the thing to put me in fucking Gryffindor!"

"Really? Could have fooled me," she fired back, her eyes Killing Curse green, "I thought it was supposed to take your own feelings into account- stupid, oversensitive Hogwarts shit and the like."

"Ok, guys, chill. We didn't come to rip each other's throats out."

"You're one to talk, dog-breath," Jay retorted, shoving Carlos angrily.

"Um, ex-excuse me?"

The four of them turned abruptly, wands raised defensively. Or rather, Carlos' wand was raised defensively, Mal, Evie and Jay were set to kill.

"What do you want?" Mal snarled, eyeing the trembling Hogwarts student before them. Judging by the red trimming the robes, he was a Gryffindor. Which was already pathetic enough, but it only served to further irritate her given Jay's own traitorous status.

"It's just, um…well," the boy fiddled anxiously with the hem of his sleeve, eyes darting back and forth between them, but seeming to settle on Jay. "It's just that, once you've been sorted, you're supposed to join the rest of your House."

"I am with the rest of my House," Jay growled, and Mal would have smirked if she weren't mentally dissecting the boy in front of them.

"I only meant…I just meant…."

"We knew what you meant," Mal cut in, danger in her voice. "And he gave you his answer. So go, before I send you back in pieces."

The boy went pale, almost as pale as they were, actually, before nodding and scrambling rapidly to his table.

"Gryffindor," Mal spat, shaking her head in disgust. "Fucking lions, alright."

"What, you don't think I have what it takes to be a good lion?"

"I think you have what it takes to be even better than a lion. You could have been a snake, but apparently, you wanted to be the hero instead."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Shut up, both of you," Evie snapped, then smiled a sweet smile as the hat called her name. "Let a real Slytherin show you how it's done."

Jay flipped her off to her back, and Mal snorted derisively.

"If she's a 'real' Slytherin, then I'm a Hufflepuff."

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" someone said, and Mal glanced to her left to see the Hufflepuff table staring at them rather aggressively; which she didn't know whether to find legitimately threatening, or just adorable.

"Alright, she's up," Carlos said, and Mal turned her attention back to the front of the room.

"Come on, E," she murmured under her breath. "Come on."

"That's what she…"

"Silencio."

"…Well if that is all," the hat murmured thoughtfully on top of Evie's head. "Better be…Ravenclaw!"

Mal stared. And stared some more. Then, slowly, she said:

"I think…I think a part of me just died. Like, legit actually died."

"Really?" Jay's voice -impossibly- said. "You mean all that soul sucking didn't already do that for you?"

"I will Crucio your ass so hard, if you do not shut up right now."

"And get sent right back to Azkaban, with no hope of finding and stealing the Elder Wand?"

"Cr…"

* * *

"Well, this is shaping up to be an interesting year," Flitwick murmured from the head table.

"And I thought Potter was going to be the difficult one," Snape drawled in his usual deadpan.

"Now now Severus," Dumbledore scolded lightly. "I think we should give our newest arrivals a chance to prove themselves. Even in the darkest corridors, the brightest light still shines…"

"Dear Merlin," McGonagall gasped suddenly. "Are they hexing each other?!"

* * *

"Sectumsem…"

"Protego!"

"Fucking weak," Mal spat, shoving a strand of hair out of her face. "Hiding behind a shield like a Gryffindor already."

"Crucio!"

She didn't bother trying to dodge, just grit her jaw and rode it out as best she could, letting her muscles lock up but forcing the air to continue through her body. When Jay finally let her go she staggered forward, lurching to the side and just under his guard.

"Now who's weak?" Jay snorted, but Mal's lips twitched, and she shot a spell at his unprotected back.

"Stupefy!"

He dodged, but she was prepared, and fired off another before he'd completed his turn.

"Petrifocus Totalus!"

"Son of a mud blood," he swore, his whole body seizing up and clattering to the floor like a board.

"Anyone else feel like questioning my authority?" Mal demanded, turning to Carlos and Evie.

Carlos went pale and shook his head, but Evie just rolled her eyes.

"A little excessive, though M, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think that was excessive," she retorts flippantly, turning back to the still frozen Jay. "But maybe this is. Cru…"

"Expelliarmus!"

Mal tried to fight it, but her wand was torn from her hand regardless, and judging by the swears and curses behind her, Carlos and Evie had lost theirs too.

"Now then," a brisk, Scottish woman's voice said. "That's quite enough of that. I'd take points from you if I could, but I think a detention on your first day would suffice. Let me make this clear, such behavior is unacceptable, no matter where you're from."

And with that, the older witch strode away, their wands still firmly in her hand.

"Who shat in her pumpkin juice?" Mal muttered darkly.

"I heard that, Miss Maleficent!"

Mal snarled, in response, but waited until the witch was out of earshot before continuing.

"I think I just reshuffled my list."

"Really?" Evie sighed, shaking her head.

"Don't get me wrong, Dumbledore is still at the top, but she's definitely a close second."

"Nice feint, by the way," Jay huffed, regaining his feet and shaking the stiffness from his limbs.

"Thanks," Mal muttered with a grim smile. "I could really feel the hate in your Cruciatus."

"I try," he shrugged, and Mal would have hexed the smirk right off of him if it weren't for the fact she had no wand. Then the hat called her name, and she straightened proudly.

"Right. My turn."

* * *

"That's enough dithering, you belong in...Slytherin!"

* * *

"And that's how it's done."

"Don't brag yet, Carlos still hasn't gone." Evie pointed out, but she was smiling anyway.

"Please, as if he could get anything worse than Gryffindor," Mal scoffed.

"Haha, yeah," Carlos chuckled nervously, not meeting her eyes.

"Come on, Carlos," Mal cajoled easily. "If I can get Slytherin, you can too. You just have to dredge up all that innate evil and you'll be fine."

"Right," he muttered weakly. "Innate."

"And hey, even if you don't get Slytherin, you couldn't possibly be as bad as Jay."

* * *

"Well then let's call it off," the hat announced smugly. "I suppose it should be…Hufflepuff!"

"Huh. I stand corrected."

* * *

"What was that you were saying about Potter being troublesome?"

"Headmaster, I really think we underestimated this whole situation."

"Don't fret Minerva, I'm sure with time…"

"With time the whole school will be on fire. And if they ever found out about the third floor corridor…or the Chamber…"

"Not even Potter could save us then."

"Let's give them a chance. After all, what's the worst that could possibly happen?"

* * *

'Zombie Pudding.' 

No one knew exactly how it had started, only that it had started, and there were beginning to be a lot less of them to pick up the pieces.

The house didn't look occupied, but there was no real way she could tell until she actually checked. It was risky and stupid, but she wouldn't be trying if they didn't desperately need what was inside. Supplies were short enough as it is, and with no other civilization nearby, they had to make do.

The girl crept up on the balls of her feet, not aiming for the front door right away. Instead she angled her body for the side of the house, grabbing up a stick on her way and started tapping the shingles with it. She moved slowly towards the door, still banging, her free hand on her knife at her belt. She winced at the loud creak of the decrepit porch, but if her banging hadn't already scared something up…

{ _Mal…there_?}

She hissed sharply through her teeth, fumbling blindly for the radio and switching it off one handed, the screen door screaming in protest as it's stopped by her body. Then a different kind of screaming pierces the air, and she fought to keep the panic at bay as she backed away quickly, letting the door close the rest of the way. The thing didn't move fast (they never do, she thought grimly), but it was purposeful in it's slow shuffle, and kept snapping at her even with the screen door blocking it's way.

Mal let out a shaky breath, keeping her eyes on the door and the creature while bringing her radio up slowly to her lips.

"I'm here, C," she whispered jerkily. "What is it?"

{ _I caught you at a bad time, didn't I?}_

"Oh, not at all," she grumbled back. "Just the usual walker appearing out of nowhere."

The radio crackled with intense static, and she grit her jaw, cursing silently as a second walker appeared at the edge of the woods just off to her left.

{ _Do you need me to call in backup?}_

"That's the last thing I need," she muttered, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet and ducking out of the way as the walker from the woods came at her, snarling.

It pivoted sloppily, teeth snapping audibly in its gaping mouth, and Mal dodged around a tree, keeping it between them and adjusting her grip on her knife. It started to come around, and she spun in the opposite direction, around the tree, bringing her knife and stabbing it through the back of the head with a determined grunt.

"One down," she whispered to herself, turning away before she could get a good look at the thing. It was easier not to think about it, to not see. Too sickening to think that it could have been someone she knew.

The one in the house was still rattling the door, and Mal strode up the porch purposefully, refusing to look at it as she jammed her knife through the screen and into its head. She opened the door, swinging her body with its momentum to avoid the falling body.

"Ok, C," Mal whispered into the radio, stepping into the living room of the abandoned house. "It's clear and I'm looking through it now."

{ _Copy. Hey, if you find any chocolate in yours, could you…?}_

"Really?" she snorted, kicking aside a chair that had fallen and giving a wince when it clattered against the wall.

She froze, hand instinctively bringing her knife up higher, but nothing else moved in the house, and she breathed a sigh of relief, dropping her hand back down to click the radio.

"Remind me to double check the stores when we get back," she murmured, crossing into the kitchen and opening the nearest cabinet. "Just to make sure everything is still there."

There's nothing but static in response to her teasing jibe, and Mal frowned, eyeing the dented can of split pea soup and trying to decide if it was worth it. They were starving, true, and couldn't really afford to be picking, but still….

"Hey, C?" she idly directed at the radio. "You think you and Evie could work your magic enough to make pea soup taste good?"

There's still static, and Mal frowned harder, shoving the can into her jacket pocket and picking up the radio again.

"Carlos?"

{ _hiiissss….}_

Mal knew that he could take care of himself (had to or else he wouldn't survive, no one would) but something jolted her regardless at that sound. The very obvious and very strained sound of a walker's snarl.

She didn't think. She just ran, ignoring the soup as it clattered out of her pocket and onto the floor. She grabbed her radio and was talking even before she'd reached the door.

"Ben?"

The radio whirrs a bit before his voice comes through, and despite the situation, she had to take a moment to appreciate just how in control he sounded.

{ _Here. What do you need?}_

"It's Carlos," she gasped, trying to slow her breathing and failing. "I think he's down, but I don't know which houses he was covering."

The main road of the development appeared through the trees, and she almost kept going, about to plow her way through as many houses as she could until Ben's voice comes through again.

{ _I'll send Jay after him, his block wasn't too far from Carlos.'}_

Mal nodded, even though he couldn't see it, relief filtering through her panic just a bit. "I'll cover the streets. Any sign of the others?"

{…none.}

And she knew that when he didn't say any more, he was thinking the same thing she was. That there hadn't been a sign because there was no sign to get. But she kept herself from saying that and instead settled on:

"I knew the city was a bad idea."

When this whole thing had started, the city had been their only haven for a time. But given the fact that Auradon was also at the center of the combined territories, it really shouldn't have been such a surprise when the walkers started pouring in from all sides. Going back hadn't been an option, especially not since the attempted purge that ended up destroying everything. But the city was all they'd ever known, and some of the group had hope.

{ _"I sent him over. It's going to be fine."}_

"You don't know that!" Mal snapped, then sighed. "Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have yelled."

{ _"It's fine. I get it, you're worried. But Carlos will be fine, you'll see."}_

* * *

It wasn't until almost nightfall that Mal did in fact, see. Evie had been disappointed about the lack of pea soup- a fact that Mal only realized when she went to give it to her- but the disappointment quickly turned to panic when she found out about their missing member. Mal paced anxiously in the living room of their current 'house,' unable to keep still as they waited for Jay to return.

The others had already arrived and been briefed on the situation, but no one dared get close enough to Mal to offer any sort of condolences. Evie tried to be optimistic, but Mal knew there was really little point in that. Like those who'd tried to take back the city, hope was something that had no place in this hellish apocalypse they lived in now. Carlos was dead, and _that_ was the optimistic outcome. She didn't want to think about the pessimistic one.

From the door, Lonnie gave a short whistle, and Mal instantly darted forward, ignoring the protests behind her as she grabbed one of the snipers from the corner. She joined Lonnie on the porch and had her gun raised even before she'd gotten there, eyeing the street warily.

"Where?" she asked the older girl, and Lonnie pointed grimly with her sword.

Mal raised the gun to her shoulder, peering through the scope at the shadowed form that was shuffling in their direction about six houses down.

"Walker?" Mal questioned, but Lonnie just gave a soft grunt in response.

Mal grit her jaw and aimed, glaring through the scope as the thing shuffled even closer. She didn't want to risk taking the shot if it were one of them; more specifically, if it were Jay, but if it was a walker….

"I'll take it," Lonnie said, and jumped over the porch railing before Mal could protest. She kept the girl in her sights the whole time, anxiously fingering the trigger as she rushed the staggering form, which stopped short as she got closer. Mal tensed, ready to fire, when suddenly Lonnie stopped, her sword falling to her side.

"No," Mal murmured, leaning forward desperately, not wanting to watch the slaughter she knew was about to happen, and yet unable to do anything to stop it.

Then suddenly, Lonnie lifted her sword, hilt up, and Mal felt her throat run dry in disbelief. Hilt up meant friends returning, which could only mean…

"Jay," Mal sighed, his form now clearly visible through the rifle's scope. But…she hadn't seen Carlos.

A part of her hated how upset the thought made her. She knew better than to hope and be optimistic, and yet her heart still seemed to clench in pain despite her efforts to remain impassive. Mal stepped back from the porch, and would have gone back inside if she hadn't remembered to keep checking for walkers. She reluctantly lifted the rifle back to her shoulder…and almost dropped it again.

"Son of bitch," she swore, her heart slamming through her chest. "That little fucker!"

Jay and Lonnie had reached the half way point of houses, and looking through the rifle now, Mal could just make out what she hadn't seen before. Wedged between the two forms was a small, hobbling figure, his pale features and bright hair unmistakable even in the dim light.

"Carlos."

Hope, as it turned out, was not quite as pointless as Mal had thought it should be. Even the smallest amount had been deemed enough to bring Carlos back to them; covered in walker slime and something dark and brown that Mal definitely did not want to know about. But she did punch him, just to let him know how not appreciated his death scare had been, even if he was relatively fine. If you didn't count his ankle, which Audrey had tended to rather expertly.

"It's just a sprain," Carlos murmured with a wince, as Jay held tightly to his hand while Audrey finished stabilizing his leg.

"It's not a sprain," Audrey scolded sharply. "It's a _break_ , and you're lucky it wasn't your neck, or worse."

"So, remind me again," Ben put in, with an amused glance at Audrey's frown. "How exactly did you break your ankle?"

"I might have slammed it in a door frame while wrestling a walker," Carlos admitted sheepishly, which made Mal scowl, and Jay laugh, squeezing Carlos' hand a little tighter.

"That's my brave little pup," he cooed, and Carlos shoved him with his elbow.

"Shut up," he growled, but he was blushing slightly.

"And just what was so important in that house that you had to wrestle the walker instead of, I don't know…run from it?" Mal put in.

"I…may have found some pudding…."

"And I guess you just forgot to bring any back?" Audrey surmised wryly.

"Chocolate?" Ben guessed, and Carlos tried and failed to hide his wistful smile.

"Just how much pudding are we talking about?" Mal murmured skeptically, suddenly realizing the identity of the darker stains.

If anything, Carlos' smile turned even more wistful, and he leaned back against Jay's arm as if he were floating on a cloud.

"112 ounces of chocolate pudding."

And strangely enough, it wasn't questioned. In fact, rather unanimously, it was decided that wrestling a walker for that much pudding was only to be expected. And that Carlos was no longer allowed to scavenge without Jay. Somehow, Mal mused as she watched the two boys curl against each other on the hardwood flooring, she didn't think either would mind.

* * *

'Operation: Toto'

"Evie is no longer allowed to control the map," Chad grumbled, wiping mud off his grey Auradon blazer.

Mal sat up from where she'd landed, wincing at the twinge in her neck from moving too suddenly. She blinked and lifted her gaze at Evie's frustrated screech, just able to make out the other girl in the dim light as she strode over to Chad.

"Well how was I supposed to predict that a _hurricane_ would start up in the middle of nowhere?" She snapped, and Chad took a faltering step backwards in the face of her wrath.

"Easy guys," and that was Ben's voice to her left, calm despite the fact that he looked just as winded as she did. "It wasn't Evie's fault we got lost in the storm."

"Lost?" Chad repeated incredulously. "We didn't get lost, Ben, we got freaking swept away!"

"Keep talking and you'll find out just how swept away," Jay growled, stopped short of punching the guy in the face by Evie's hand on his chest.

Mal hefted herself up to her feet, taking stock of the situation as quickly as she could. What was supposed to be a fun hike/picnic combo away from the Auradon campus had been derailed by a freak storm. Evie had been using her mirror as a GPS, and despite some of the bickering and mildly insulting banter, they'd all been having a good time. Then the storm had hit, and quickly threw them off track.

But it wasn't raining now, she noted with a frown. It wasn't even slightly damp, and the air felt different, somehow. They were on the side of some road, and street lamps from a nearby town shone in the near distance, bright enough to let them see each other. Carlos was eyeing the road skeptically; Chad, Evie and Jay were still bickering/threating each other; Lonnie was comforting Audrey, who appeared to be hyperventilating; and Ben…Ben was looking at her with a slightly mischievous grin.

"What?" Mal asked, frowning at him.

"I was just thinking you look pretty good rain-soaked and with hurricane hair," he said, and Mal snorted, rolling her eyes at him.

She was about to fire off a retort of her own, when Doug- she'd forgotten to count him, oops- suddenly spoke up.

"Hey guys?" he said, and they all stopped, turning to face the half-dwarf, who was staring in the direction of the town. "I don't think that's any of Auradon's towns."

"Great," Chad grumbled. "Not only are we lost, but we're not even in Auradon anymore. How'd you get us stranded in another _kingdom_ , Evie?"

"Ok, easy," Ben cut in with a shake of his head. "Let's just head into town and see what's going on. Maybe we can get a place to stay and something to eat."

"And we should probably avoid the woods," Carlos added shakily, as a howling could suddenly be heard from the trees around them.

It was a shorter walk than Mal thought it would be, and soon enough, they were in the center of town. There were shops lining most of the streets, and a pawn shop belonging to a 'Mr. Gold' that Jay had to be dragged away from. Mal had cast a dubious look in the direction of the pawn shop, sensing the presence of some very dark magic guarding the place. It was enough to distract her, so she almost didn't notice the diner until Carlos gasped.

"Food!" he cried, and before they could really stop him, he'd rushed up the porch of the brightly lit building.

They caught up with him, and stopped just inside the door, awed by the restaurant. There was a bar to the right, complete with high stools, and the booths were arranged so that regardless of where you sat, you could see out the windows. The wallpaper was a reflection of the woods they'd seen, only the trees on the walls were snowy and white. Something good was cooking though, and Mal could suddenly feel the absence of their picnic.

"Hi, welcome to Granny's," a young woman said, and Mal blinked at the…rather scantily clad waitress. She was pretty though, with dark eyes and bright red lipstick, red highlights in her otherwise dark hair.

"I'm Ruby," the woman continued with a smile. "I don't think I've ever seen you guys around here before."

"No, we're from out of town," Ben agreed, and something flickered across the woman's face, too fast for Mal to interpret.

"Really?" Ruby said, and there was something like nervousness in her voice.

Another woman suddenly strode through the door behind them, side stepping around Jay and giving them all a way look.

"Hey Ruby," the woman greeted, still eyeing them carefully. "What's going on here?"

"Emma," Ruby replied, and there was definite relief in the younger woman's voice. "These are…new arrivals. From out of town."

"Oh," the woman, Emma, said, blinking. "Well, that's…interesting."

"Ok so what's the deal here?" Mal snapped, impatient and not liking the weird feelings the place was giving her. "Why all the secret looks and hidden meanings that we're not getting?"

"There you are Miss Swan, have you seen…hello."

Mal almost groaned at the arrival of another woman, this one with black hair as opposed to Emma's blonde, and were Emma had arrived in jeans and a red leather jacket (that Mal would definitely kill for) this older woman was all business. Literally.

"What do you want now Regina?" Emma did groan, turning to face the other woman.

"Well I did want to know where Henry was," the other woman snapped, just as testily. "But now I think I'll settle on who these people are."

"I'm Ben," Ben introduced, extending a hand and smiling despite the tense atmosphere. "And this is Mal, Lonnie, Jay, Doug, Evie, Carlos, Audrey, Chad and…oh right," he paused, remembering. "Jane couldn't come."

"Alright then, Ben," Regina said slowly. "What brings you to Storybrooke?"

"Story…what?" Mal interjected, and Regina glanced her way, and Mal could have been turned to stone the woman's look was so fierce.

"Storybrooke," Emma repeated, a little more gently. "It's ok if you haven't heard of it, we're not that well known."

"Ok, and which kingdom are you a part of?" Ben asked, still smiling, albeit nervously. "Because I don't think I remember hearing of you at all."

"Kingdom?" This was from Regina, who suddenly sounded unsure.

"What story are you guys from?" Emma put in, glancing in Regina's direction. "How is it that you weren't brought here during the curse?"

"Curse?" Audrey squeaked. "What curse?"

"I knew I had a bad feeling about this place," Mal muttered.

"You mean you're not from a fairytale?" Regina asked, frowning.

"We're not, per se," Doug hedged, adjusting his glasses. "But our parents were."

"Parents?" Something in Emma's voice was a little heavy, but mostly cautious.

"My parents are Belle and Beast," Ben volunteered, glancing around at the group with a nod of his head.

"Mulan," Lonnie said.

"Sleeping Beauty," from Audrey.

"Jafar."

"I'm Dopey's son."

"Maleficent," Mal said shortly, waiting for an outburst of shock or revulsion, but none came, and Chad continued the thread.

"Prince Charming and Cinderella."

"Cruella. Cruella de Vil."

"Dude, everyone knows who she is," Jay scoffed. "You don't have to clarify."

"Wow, big word for such a small…." Carlos retort was choked off rather abruptly as Jay wrestled him into a headlock.

"I apologize for…them," Evie said, stepping forward with a smile. "I'm Evie, the Evil Queen's daughter."

Emma choked, and Regina went deathly pale. "That's impossible," the brunette muttered, eyes wide. "That's…just not possible."

"It's not?" Evie said, suddenly unsure.

"I never had a daughter."

"I'm...sorry? Evie offered, and Mal shuffled her feet nervously.

"Hang on," Emma said, pointing back and forth between Evie and Regina. "Is there any way you could have had a daughter, but because she wasnt part of the curse..."

"My curse did not work like that Miss Swan," Regina said impatiently. "I kept my memories, as did Gold. And that is beside the point...she is not my daughter."

"Yeah, obviously," Jay muttered with a scoff, finally releasing Carlos, who gasped desperately for air. "She's the Evil Queen's daughter."

"I am the Evil Queen."

"Well...this just got interesting," Emma mused.

* * *

A round of hamburgers later, they were still no closer to figuring things out, and a bunch of people had come into the diner and gathered around to stare and talk about them.

"I don't know what's going on, but I feel like the crocodile is involved," Mal heard Emma mutter.

"Agreed," Regina said, and Mal pretended not to notice the way the brunette kept staring at Evie.

"But how did they even get here?" A pale woman with dark hair in a pixie cut whispered. "And what are we supposed to do with them?"

"Not to mention, Dad," Emma said with a pointed glare at the sandy haired man beside her. "That blond pretty boy over there said he's your son. Yours and _Cinderella's._ "

"Charming?" The pixie cut said with obvious shock, and Mal had to keep from visibly reacting. That guy was Prince Charming? But she'd met him...and also what? How was Emma that guy's daughter? They were like, the same age!

"He's not mine, Snow" the man swore. "Trust me, I'd never..."

"Expect for that time you did," she countered lowly, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh?" the blond man retorted, lifting a brow. "And what was that thing with you and Whale?"

"It was one time," the woman snapped. "We were cursed."

"Guys, focus," Emma hissed. "Cheating allegations aside, that other boy is apparently one of the dwarves' kids, and that blue haired girl…"

"She is not…"

"We got it, Madam Mayor. And anyway, that Ben kid said he's Belle and Gold's, which is…also impossible."

"Well what are we supposed to do with them?" the pixie haired woman asked, ignoring the blond's glare. "If they're from out of town, we can't risk keeping them here."

"Agreed," Regina murmured, and there was a dark tone in her voice that made Mal shiver slightly.

"But if they're really who they say they are," the other woman continued softly. "We're going to have some problems."

"Some?" Emma replied incredulously.

The diner's bell chimed, and a kid stumbled through the door, carrying a giant book in his arms. Mal didn't miss the way both Emma and Regina straightened at the sight of him, but whereas Emma had open relief showing on her face, Regina's emotion was pinched and hidden with something cold and heavy.

"Henry," she sighed, and the relief that had been missing from her face was in her voice. "There you are. I was so…"

"I found the book, Mom," the kid, Henry, said, but he was addressing Emma, and barely even glanced in Regina's direction. "But I didn't see any of them in it."

"I don't know if you will kid," Emma said, and Mal didn't miss the wince she cast in Regina's direction, and apology and something else. Something like a promise, glinting in her eyes. "Some of the stuff they said just doesn't fit."

"Well why don't we ask them?"

And suddenly, the kid was at their table, grinning widely at them over the edge of the book.

"Hi," he said brightly. "I'm Henry. How did you all get to Storybrooke?"

"We don't really know." It was Ben who answered, which was probably for the best, since Mal was so on edge she was ready to stab someone. "We were just hiking together and a storm picked up; next thing we know, we're here."

"A storm?" Henry repeated, and he didn't sound skeptical. If anything, he sounded excited. "Did it look like this?"

And somehow the book was on their table, open and showing a picture of an ominous green twister that crackled with lightning. The entire thing was son unnatural it just _screamed_ magic, and Mal shifted even more uncomfortably in her seat.

"It was kind of hard to tell," Ben said slowly, clearly not sure how to interpret the picture. "I didn't see anything like that, though. It was more…dark and purplish. And there was a lot of rain and…."

"Dark and purple?" And Mal blinked at the sudden hardness in the kid's tone. "Like…this?"

And if the green twister looked ominous, this storm was downright sinister. The clouds were thick and almost black, but there were hints of purple throughout that only served to highlight the inky darkness. This was the stuff of nightmares.

"It was something like that, yeah," Ben said hoarsely, and Henry frowned solemnly. His head turned minutely, but he stopped himself, and turned back with a quick smile.

"Well, since you're here, we should figure out what stories you're from, and maybe get you a happy ending."

"Happy ending?" Chad interjected, and Mal was surprised to hear how nervous the usual smarmy prince was.

Henry just nodded eagerly, flipping to a different page in the book; one with a castle that looked eerily familiar…

"We'll call it: Operation…Toto."


	15. Tell me it's ok (to be happy now)

**What's this? Two updates in one day!? Whaaat?**

 **Yeah, that's right, I managed to finish a little early and get this up for you guys tonight. (Please don't consider this 'normal.' I'm entirely human and even I don't know how I managed this, therefore I can not guarantee something like again.)**

 **That being said, I'm just gonna jump into this and start with my reviews!**

* * *

 **GenderqueerWriter: AAAAHHHH! Don't be alarmed, a new chapter is here! Hopefully your screaming will be happy screaming. :)**

 **tigerladygamer: I'm sorry for the cruelty of my cliffhanger. Please don't be dead! I've updated, see? Lol, I hope you're still following along and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and Aladdin, so much! Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **theNiceDevil: I'm glad you like it! It is pretty exciting, and I hope you'll keep following along to see what other exciting things I have planned. ;)**

 **Call Me Random: I know, I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, though, and hopefully this update (free of cliffhangers) will make it up to you.**

 **danifan3000: Welcome to the story, and thank you for the review. Well, I can't say for sure how Kropp's job opportunities will go, but I can say that the kids aren't entirely defenseless. ;) They'll make him regret his actions yet. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Delta Orchid: The chapter ended, yes, but it ended so a new one could begin! (crappy poetic excuse for cliffhangers and sucky procrastination oh look new chapter please read and ignore my ramblings) ;)**

 **rowan: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you loved the chapter and I hope you'll enjoy this one just as much.**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: Thank you so much for your review and the kind words! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and that you think I'm doing things right. I worry about the characters and keeping things in character, so to hear you say that I'm doing a good job and everything is perfect, means a lot to me. :)**

 **As for the foreshadowing, well, it was more just teasing, really. Probably just more cruelty on my part. I have the pairings already decided for this story, but for the sake of the fans, I decided to at least include/tease/mention some of the other ships. So that little thing was my attempt at, not just Aziz teasing, but ship teasing. Sorry if I disappointed you there. But I do intend to write other stories for this fandom, so maybe in one of them, I'll give it a shot. ;)**

 **Anyway, thank you for the amazing review, I'm glad you enjoy my story so much. And I got you, it made sense. I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **hershey201214: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked it, even if the adults are kind of ruining things. There's a little more of that here, but that isn't to say there's no hope. But things will be a little tight with the adult side of things, at least for a little while.**

 **But I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Gracfully: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like the chapter! Hopefully you'll like this one too.**

 **BaileyAsh: Thank you so much for the kind words! Characters and development are always a concern of mine, so I'm glad you think I'm doing so well. As for your question, well, that's for the story to tell, I won't give anything away here. ;) Also, I have checked out your story, and I really liked what I read so far. I just never connected the dots to realize it was yours until you pointed it out, lol. Shameless plugging accepted. And you know, if you ever wanted to check out some of my other stories… *wink wink***

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy this one, though, and I look forward to hearing what you think of this latest chapter.**

 **Guest: There will definitely be more of Aladdin slaying. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you'll continue to follow along. :)**

 **starflight34: Thank you! I'm glad you like the chapter, and the apology. It was nice, you can say that. I won't take offense. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Tiredandlazy: It's always good to hear from you, no matter how late! I'll consider a compliment that you were so excited and surprised by my updating that you were cursing.**

 **Um, but the references thing, yeah we need to work on that cuz that's just not ok. ;) In my comment to you I was referencing an anime series I love called RWBY (pronounced 'ruby'). And in the chapter itself I referenced 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' on Netflix. They have fun running gag about defining words in the show, and seeing as I had just finished bingeing it, I couldn't resist referencing it. And yes, of course Harry Potter is still popular, why what have you heard? Lies, all of it!**

 **Anyway, you won't have to wait too much longer because the revenge will be coming soon, I promise. And it's gonna be good! Just not for Kropp. *Muhahahaha!* Sorry, really gotta tone down the evil laughter.**

 **And I'm glad you like Mal and her magic, though I can't promise any burnings…they're trying to play good, after all. But there might be a little smoke. ;) Aziz can be annoying, but he's got such a heart of gold. (He gets it from his dad.) And Jane really is adorable, she gets too much hate sometimes, but I'm glad you like her. :)**

 **I will also take your hate as a compliment, because it means I'm doing something right. And I too, love referencing children's shows, so no shame there. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think.**

 **Krestal: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Hopefully this new chapter will make up for the cliffhanger and leaving it so suddenly.**

 **Free Spirit140: I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. I guess you'll just have to read and find out. ;)**

 **AllGlitchedUp: You pointed out some excellent things, and I agree, the four kind of do just roll over Carlos. Even in the movie, he was kind of just 'there' and no one really expected anything of him, which made me sad because I love Cameron Boyce and I was looking forward to seeing him play this character, and Carlos sort of just ends up in the background.**

 **But anyway, with the story; you are correct in that Jane is good for him in that regard, and I look forward to showing the growth of these characters and Carlos getting his chance to show the rest of the group (and Auradon, really) that he really can do it. And yes, he is not going to accept Jay back lightly, there will definitely be some begging involved. In regards to your second review, once you got logged in. We are going to pretend for the sake of the story that I did not fall into a massive plot hole and that it was totally intentional, and we will see more of Fairy Godmother's development as well later on, since even Fairy Godmother's (and writer's) make mistakes. Haha, sorry.**

 **But thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much and I hope you'll continue to follow along. :)**

 **Kameron the God of Fairytales: Hey, it's good to hear from you again! I'm glad you're all caught up. It's good to know you're still enjoying this thing, and Aladdin's commentary. I figured there had to be someone who would protest about the heroes' treatment of the villains and the Isle, and who better than someone who, in any other light, could be looked at as an antagonist himself?**

 **I'm glad you like it, and I will definitely keep on keeping on. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy too.**

 **menolikee: I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long, and on a cliffhanger too. But I'm glad you like the story so much, and hopefully this next chapter will make up for it. :)**

 **TheDiamondSword400: Hi, welcome to the story! It's good to hear from you. I'm glad you like Aziz so much, since I really don't have much to go on for him. I knew he was in the books, but I haven't read them yet, so he really is like an OC in this thing. But I'm glad you're enjoying and I hope you will continue to.**

 **IWantColoredRain: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully this update was soon enough for you. :)**

 **anonymous: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story. You know, I don't think I ever mentioned the ages much, did I? In this story, Ben is 18, Jay is 19, Mal is 16, Evie is 17 (but only a month or so older than Mal) and Carlos is 14. As for the rest, Audrey is 17, Lonnie is 18, Aziz is 18, Doug is 16/17, and Chad is 16. (Hence, his _slight_ immaturity) I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Ok and now for the Author's Notes!**

 **This chapter sees a lot of stuff happening, so yay for plot development! We get another flashback, and another POV shift for you guys, as well as more development of the revenge plot for Kropp. I know you guys have been anxious to see that, so hopefully that'll get you excited.**

 **Warnings for this chapter include the usual, some cursing, though it's not as bad as earlier (or later) chapters will be, all things considered. Also warnings for mentions of child abuse, both implied and shown, as well as mild bullying.**

 **But it's not all bad, and there's some more good stuff happening. And, there may or may not be a Game of Thrones reference hiding in there somewhere. I told myself I wouldn't, but I just couldn't resist, and it was set up so perfectly, I had to. ;)**

* * *

 **Note 2: I have chosen the four prompts for the story! Congratulations to everyone who played and guessed. Aziz's dorm room number is 40 in a reference to the 40 Thieves! So, congratulations to the following:**

 ** GenderqueerWriter **

**Shots and Giggles**

 **menolikee , and **

**MakeItShineDiamondKat31111! **

**I have accepted your prompts and will be including them in the story! Thanks for sending them in and I will make sure to shout out to you guys again when we get to the parts where I incorporate them.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you guys think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 _Mal_

There's a very particular way that dragons sleep. In all the stories and legends and fairy tales, dragons always slept in dark, creepy caves, surrounded by piles of gold. Or bones. (Mal preferred bones.) The purpose for the piles of gold, according to some particular legends, was not just as a trophy of all the villages the dragon had burned, or offerings from villages hoping _not_ to be burned. The belief held that because dragons were reptiles, they needed to bathe in the sun to stay warm, and because the sun doesn't shine in dark, creepy caves, the gold soaked up all the sun for the dragon so that when they slept they could still bathe in the sun.

Her mother always said that was a lie, and a stupid one at that, and so Mal didn't hold stock in stories like that. And anyway, she would know, Mal always thought to herself whenever her mother would scowl at the dragon facts Mal would share. Her mother was a dragon herself.

Mal was a dragon too. She had to remind herself sometimes, or else her mother would remind her, that she had the blood of a dragon and so she was above things like fairytales and stories. Personally, though, Mal kind of liked the stories. It helped when the wind tore through the towers so hard the stone would crumble, or when it rained and soaked through the rafters, dripping loudly in her bedroom and usually making her sick in the process- to think of it as her own dragon cave, and imagine what sort of treasure she would collect to fill it with.

But she did like the idea of bones better. Bones meant that you were a fierce dragon, that the villages were too scared of you even to offer trophies of gold. Bones weren't easy victories like simply flying over and burning the town and people. It meant that _they_ had to come to _you_ ; send their fiercest warriors to try and kill you. And then she'd get to kill them first, fight and prove that she was the fiercest dragon with the collection of bones.

Mal always liked to dream of that, herself as a dragon amidst the bones. She even slept like one, or at least, that's what she'd always pretend. She'd pretend that her room was even larger, and even darker. Less damp and without any mold in the corners. Her bed wasn't a rough pallet, so hard she might as well be on the floor. She had piles of warm gold and an even larger collection of bones, and she'd lie on her back and curl herself up in just the right position so she could look up through the hole in the cave ceiling; see the sun come up and just sort of drift….

"Mal!"

Mal groaned, opening her eyes but refusing to shift from her comfortable position. She'd only just gotten to the point where the loose board wasn't digging in her back! Why was it so hard for her to sleep, but not her mother?

"Mal Bertha!"

The vicious snarl came again, and Mal groaned even louder, stretching her body out so she was lying flat on the thing that was a bed. Middle name didn't mean 'trouble,' not necessarily. But it did mean that whatever it was must be important, since her mother hated the name almost as much as Mal did. It was part of why she'd picked it.

"I'm up!" Mal shouted back, letting a snarl of her own color her words, and grinning when her mother hollered back:

"Don't you use that tone with me, missy!"

Mal pressed her lips together to keep from firing back another retort, and instead rolled onto her feet, only wobbling a tiny bit before regaining her balance. She was proud of herself for that accomplishment. The last time she'd missed dinner, it had taken her almost half a day to get control of the dizziness. She was getting better. Stronger.

She bent down and tightened the straps of her shoes, (she always wore shoes to bed, just in case) eyeing the hole in the toe of her left shoe warily. It wasn't that big yet, but she didn't want to take any chances. The right was already wearing at the heel, and soon enough there wouldn't be anything keeping them together except sheer willpower. She crossed to the dresser shoved against the far wall, yanking hard on one of the drawer handles. It always stuck, but seeing as there were only three other functioning drawers, she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

"Mal!"

She grimaced at the bite in the woman's tone. She was definitely going to miss breakfast today, too. The drawer came free and she staggered back, flushing angrily before grabbing the first thing she saw, pulling a mud green sweater over her ragged t-shirt and scrambling for the stairs. She huffed her way down them, leaping over the loose stair at the bottom before straightening with a scowl, pushing a thin strand of light blonde hair out of her face.

"What?" She snapped, then froze, spotting the man standing beside her mother for the first time.

He was tall, much taller than her or her mother, with dark skin and even darker eyes. His hair must have been dark too, but it was wrapped up in some kind of scarf, so Mal couldn't really tell. But she could tell that she had crossed a line, as the man's face twisted into a sneer that rivaled even Mal's.

"A rather disrespectful brat," he murmured to her mother, who scowled sharply at her. "I do hope I haven't misjudged this arrangement, Maleficent."

Mal flinched at the look the man gave her, and quickly dropped her eyes to the floor, cursing herself for the stupid mistake. Stupid, and fatal, in any number of circumstances.

"Of course not, Jafar," she heard her mother respond, and the man must be someone important, if he was letting her use his name. "Believe me, I keep my daughter well in hand. Much like your own son."

The man, Jafar, spat on the ground. "A thorn in my side, that bastard," he cursed. "But useful enough."

"And the arrangement will benefit us both," her mother continued smoothly, and Mal shifted uncomfortably, dread churning her stomach. Or maybe that was hunger.

"It had better," he grumbled, but he snapped his fingers sharply, and Mal heard a muffled scrambling sound from above. She didn't dare lift her head, but the stones cracked painfully as the sliding sound continued, before ending with a dull thump just outside the door.

It opened, and a light pattering of footsteps sounded, before a pair of booted feet ran past her vision. They stopped just before the man, and a young, boyishly high voice said:

"You called?"

There was a mischief in that voice that put Mal on edge, but it was cut short by a sharp slap, and the smaller feet wavered slightly.

"Insolent boy," the man hissed furiously. "What were you doing on the _roof_?"

"You said I should stay look out," the boy answered, but the lightness was gone from his voice. "So I thought I'd have a better view from the roof. Sir," he added quickly, but another slap rang out regardless, and Mal winced in spite of herself as the boy was sent sprawling at her feet.

"Worthless," Jafar sneered, and Mal could see him shift his body away from them. "Do you see what I have to put up with? At least yours seems…competent."

"Thank you," Mal heard her mother murmur, but even she seemed mildly put off at the violent display. "If you would, we can discuss the details…" her voice trailed off, and Mal sighed quietly in relief as their footsteps trailed with them, lifting her head at last.

The boy was still on the ground, and she frowned, taking him in. He must have been about a few years older than her, 11 at most, and he didn't look anywhere near as fierce as his father. His skin was a shade lighter, his hair long and curling around his ears almost like a girl's. The thought amused Mal, and she smirked to herself, wondering if she could take his shoes while he appeared unconscious. He must be as weak as Jafar said, if one hit sent him flying like that. Although she supposed, to be fair, he could also be tougher, if he could at least take a hit like that.

She frowned and shifted her weight, not liking the way the thought twisted at her insides. It was a weak feeling, a pitiful one, and if she was going to have any chance at surviving she had to get rid of all weakness. And she especially couldn't be associating with weak boys.

"Hey," she snapped at him. "Are you dead?"

At her voice, his eyes shot open, and his body twisted, arching up off the floor, and with an impressive kick, he was back on his feet.

"I guess not," she muttered, only vaguely disappointed. She'd find other shoes somehow.

The boy ignored her completely for a moment, his eyes sharp and intelligent as he scanned every inch of the room. There wasn't much to see; the stairs behind her, the door over to his right. A window without a frame, and just beneath it, a couch that was missing all its pillows. He took it all in with a single glance, before his eyes fell back on her and he grinned, a smile that was all teeth and no charm as he lifted a brow.

"Hey," he said shortly. "You?"

Mal crossed her arms, feeling her lips curl, and she allowed her eyes to flash green at him. "Hey you?" she snarled. "What, are you a long lost Gaston triplet?"

His expression faltered, and he took an uncertain step back. "Uh, no? I…I said Jay. I'm…" he cleared his throat, dropping his voice and trying again. "I'm Jay. And you are?"

"Disgusted by your very presence."

He laughed at her response, his eyes glinting as he pointed in the direction of the kitchen, where the adults had gone.

"Hey, so is my dad," he said gleefully. "You two would get along great."

A loud bellow of laughter, followed by a slightly louder shriek of mirth sounded from the next room, causing both children to jump, though Mal recovered first.

"Sounds like they're getting along, at least," she mumbled, and Jay gave her a look out of the corner of his eyes, his head still turned in the direction of the kitchen.

"I'd be a little more concerned, if I were you," he muttered back. "My dad doesn't 'get along' with anyone, more like charms his way to their untimely demise."

"Please," Mal snorted, rolling her own eyes. "Do you know who my mother _is_?"

"Should I?"

Mal started, caught off guard by the boy's flippant tone. "Y-yes," she snapped, scowling at him fiercely. "My mother is Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil. She controls the goblins and all the powers of Hell itself."

"Cool," Jay murmured, still watching the other room intently. "My dad was the Royal Grand Vizier to the Sultan, and manipulated his way to becoming an all-powerful Genie."

"He…he doesn't look like an all-powerful Genie," Mal probed cautiously, though she backed away from the kitchen just in case.

"That's cause he's not anymore," Jay retorted, finally turning back to face her. "And your mom's nothing special, either."

Mal flinched, her eyes widening as she shot an anxious glance to the other room. "Shut up!" she hissed, shoving Jay hard.

"It's true," he said, shoving her back just as hard. "They're not powerful anymore. But we…we could be."

"What are you talking about?" Mal snapped, not liking his tone, or the feelings it stirred up inside her.

"I'm talkin' about how someday, I'm getting off this stupid rock, and finding a magic lamp. Then, it'll be my turn to be powerful."

There was something dark in his gaze, in his grin, and Mal could suddenly see his resemblance to his father.

"That's what they're talkin' in there," Jay continued, jerking his head to the side. "About a way to get out and be powerful again."

"That's impossible," Mal retorted, but the idea had her brain flip flopping with thoughts. "There's a magic barrier. And just because she can still change form doesn't mean…."

She trailed off, because Jay was giving her a weird look. "She can do what?" he asked, and Mal pursed her lips, realizing that maybe she shouldn't have revealed that.

"Nothing," she shook her head sharply. "I don't get what we have to do with all this, but…."

"No no," Jay said, shaking his own head as a sly sort of grin crossed his face. "You said she can change shape? Even with a magic barrier?"

"She…she's a dragon," Mal confided lowly. "I am too, but she's stronger than me."

"But _how_?" he seemed delighted at the prospect, and Mal bit her lip nervously.

"Something about the barrier," she finally murmured. "It turns any magic items useless, like brooms can't fly and stuff. But if the magic item is powerful enough, it simply dulls the magic to where it can't be felt. If you're strong enough, though…."

"Killer!" he crowed, and he leaned forward, suddenly enthusiastic and childish. "Do you think you could, too? Is it some kind of spell, or…oh! A necklace or something? Wait till I tell E-"

"Jayden!"

Jay flinched, but disguised the movement rather cleverly as he spun playfully on his heel, coming to a sharp attention as Jafar and her mother strode into the room. Mal glanced up and caught her mother's eye, and gave a short, reassuring nod in response to her tight, worried look. Then she noticed Jafar's glance and instantly averted her eyes. She heard him give a grunt of approval, but he ignored her after that, his feet turning instead to Jay. Mal found that she was holding her breath and instantly let it go, frowning hard at the ground.

"It has been drawn to my attention," he murmured in grudging tones. "That I may not be using you to your full ability. Despite this, Maleficent has…kindly…offered an arrangement that will benefit us both."

The way he said the word kindly made Mal shiver, and she glanced at her mother out of the corner of her eyes, trying to understand what was happening. Her mother gave no indication that she felt Mal's gaze, however, and Mal scowled at Jay's too-good-for-him shoes.

"No team in 'I?'" Jay offered warily, the confusion in his voice apparent. Mal wondered what sort of catch phrase that was, but Jafar seemed to approve, letting out a low laugh that reminded her of snake's hiss.

"It would seem this is one of those delicate times where a mutual cooperation is needed," Jafar responded silkily. "You will teach Maleficent's daughter the tools of the trade, and in exchange, she will teach you her own."

"What?" Mal snapped, bringing her head up to glare at Jafar. She could see that Jay looked equally surprised, and had only just restrained himself from making the same exclamation.

Jafar turned on her, and Mal realized too late the mistake she had made. She didn't dare look to her mother for help. She knew it wouldn't be given, and not only that, but she had the blood of a dragon. She would face this herself. Mal's glare was fierce, but Jafar's even fiercer. She supposed a snake wasn't that far off from a dragon, and although a dragon had power, the snake had poison.

Something about that dark gaze petrified her, and she was trying to brace herself for death when Jay's voice rang out, low and skeptical.

"I don't see how that mutually benefits me," he mumbled, and Mal found she could breathe again as the man turned on his son.

"I mean," Jay continued, kicking a foot casually. "I get it'd have to be good for you to take it but, what's the deal?"

"The _deal_ ," Jafar hissed, so sharply that Mal winced. "Is that you and Mal will learn from each other, and in exchange, so will Maleficent and I. She will provide a sort of sanctuary, and in return, I will provide commodities of my own."

There was something in Jafar's tone that made Mal uncomfortable for some reason; some secret hidden in his words that she couldn't -and didn't want to- understand.

"Know this, Jafar," her mother cut in, and the power in her voice was undisputable. "I know when I'm being cheated."

"Believe me, my dear Maleficent," he crooned back in sly tones. "There is nothing but the best from my stock."

"For your sake, let us hope so. And your brat better be as good as you say, my daughter has yet to disappoint me and I would _hate_ for her to start now due to your lack of training."

Jafar growled something under his breath, but the words weren't anything Mal could understand. They sounded like gibberish to her. But Jay seemed to understand well enough, judging by the way he stiffened suddenly. But whatever tension that crossed between them passed, and Mal practically sighed aloud as they both turned to leave.

"We will discuss matters further amongst ourselves later this week, Maleficent," Jafar tossed back over his shoulder. "In the mean-time, Jayden is free for your daughter's use at any time."

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement," her mother responded lowly, and Mal bit her lip at the suppressed fury in her voice.

The door shut firmly behind them, and they weren't gone more than a breath-length of time before the sparks ignited in her mother's hands.

"Slimy bastard," she growled, a deep low sound echoing in her chest. "The nerve! That he thinks he can dismiss me. _Me!_ He's lucky I considered him even marginally worth my time the desert loving….."

Mal shifted back a step, just in case, and her mother's sharp eyes caught the movement, the blue orbs lighting with green.

"And just what," she snarled, stalking towards her. "The _hell_ , do you think you were doing?"

"I…," Mal faltered, then grimaced, forcing her voice to remain even and lifting her eyes to meet her mother's. "I didn't think," she said. "I wasn't…."

"You're damn right you weren't thinking," her mother snapped, cutting her off. "Honestly Mal, I expect better from you than this."

"I know," Mal murmured, dropping her gaze, unable to meet the disappointment in her mother's eyes.

"When I was your age, showing such disrespect could mean the difference between the loss of your tongue, or your life."

"I know," Mal said again, a hint of a groan in her voice.

"Or your _life_ , Mal," her mother repeated sharply, her fingers reaching out and grabbing Mal's chin, forcing her to meet the green-eyed gaze. It was more than fire, more than magic; it was raw power, an unseen vise squeezing tighter than her mother's grip.

"I have worked too hard," her mother continued in a dark undertone. "And you have yet to fail me. Don't. Start. Now."

Mal tried to nod, or even tear her eyes away, but the green wouldn't let her go. Something must have shown in her face, because her mother's gaze softened, and Mal found she could breathe again.

"I'm only hard on you because I expect things from you," her mother said, in a slightly less dangerous tone. "Jafar may not expect much from his brat, but that's because they're weak, and he doesn't see things the way I do. The way we do," she added, a wicked smile curling at her lips.

"But if he's so weak," Mal said cautiously, twisting her fingers through the gap in her sweater's hem. "Why…why are you working with him? Why do I have to teach Jay-?"

"Because," her mother sighed. "Sometimes you have to stoop in order to reach the throne room."

"What does that mean?"

"It means," her mother said, and her voice was tight again. "That I will work with Jafar, and you will work with Jay, and we will show them what true strength is."

Mal had a sudden flash of realization, and she couldn't help but echo her mother's wicked grin. She would be just like the dragons in the stories. Even better, because she would be the fiercest, and maybe, just maybe, she could get some bones out of it.

"So," Mal offered, smiling just a little wider. "Stooping?"

Her mother's smile is all edges, but the light in her eyes is something hot and fierce. "That's my little dragon."

* * *

Jay

"Ok, so hey," Aziz mumbles in his ear. "Um, can't help but notice that you're still just staring."

Jay blinks, realizing with a pang of irritation that the other boy was right. But he still feels the need to remind him that Jay was the one in control here. He stabs down with his crutch and smirks at Aziz's muffled groan.

"Point taken," Aziz says, a hint of strain in his voice. "But uh, what are you gonna do about it?"

Jay is all set to attempt strangling the other boy as promised, but then he realizes that Aziz was not in fact, taunting him. Carlos was still sitting up in the infirmary bed, and he could tell by the set of the smaller boy's jaw that he was just aching to throw something else at him. Something sharp, maybe. Or explosive.

"Carlos," Jay tries again, keeping his voice low so it didn't carry too far in the room. "Please, just say something."

"Ssomething," the boy growls in a harsh deadpan.

"Come on," Jay retorts, frustrated. "What more do you want from me?"

Complete silence, and Jay realizes that it's not just because Carlos was refusing to talk. He stiffens, and turns sharply on his heel to see that the door had been swung open without any of them noticing, and the Fairy Godmother, along with Ben, and a man and a woman who were undoubtedly his parents, gaped from the open doorway.

"What-" Fairy Godmother tries to say, but is cut off by the man, who stalks forward into the room with a severe frown.

"What on earth is going on in here?" He demands, and his authority is made all the more apparent by the shiny badges on his suit and the (rather obvious now that Jay was thinking about it) crown on his head.

"Aziz," Fairy Godmother continues, less harsh but equally stern. "I thought I told you to make sure Jay remained in his own room."

"Oops?" Aziz tries with an innocent shrug, but even Jay know it's too late for that.

"And just what," the King breaks in, his eyes turning to Mal and Evie now. "Are doing in here? It was my impression that you intended to wait in the hall."

Jay feels a tight sneer twisting his expression, and he shifts his weight on his crutch, ready to move forward and give the bastard a piece of his mind. Royal status or no, _no one_ messed with his crew and got away with it. But Mal shoots him a look, and he reluctantly leans back; ready to jump in, but resigned to let her deal with it.

"We were more than happy to wait in the hallway," Mal says, and her voice is a poisonous rumble. "But that was before we found out you had practically _chained_ Carlos to his bed. Of course, it's understandable how that could make us a little...upset."

She snaps her fingers lightly by her side, and even Jay is caught off guard at the small spark of green that dances through her fingers before disappearing.

"Whaat?" Aziz whispers hoarsely. "She can do magic too?" His head snaps up to glance over at Jay before turning his amazed gaze to the adults. "I didn't know she could do that; did you know she could do that? Cuz that's pretty freakin' awesome if you ask me."

Jay grits his jaw at the barely concealed anger in the King's face, which is echoed by resigned frustration in the Queen's, and simple weariness in the Fairy Godmother's. Aziz sees it too, and falters, his wide eyes dimming slightly as his smile fades.

"Of course, you're not asking me, so…"

"Aziz," the Queen cuts in with a short sigh and a shake of her head.

He falls silent and blinks up at the Fairy Godmother, his head nodding slightly to the left. "Something I said?" he mutters slowly, and she echoes the Queen's sigh.

"Not you," she replies tensely, and Aziz blinks again before breaking into a downright sinful grin.

"Oh," he says, his eyes shining darkly as his gaze turns to the royals. "It was Dad…he did the thing, didn't he? That hero speech?"

The King makes a sound that's half growl, half groan, and Jay takes a half step closer to Mal and Evie.

"You know about that, how?" Fairy Godmother asks with a grimace.

"He's been practicing for almost a week," Aziz replies glibly. "Bear in mind that when I say practicing, I mean ranting over the phone to me and Mom or in letters. Aw, I wish I coulda seen it! Your faces…."

"Aziz," Ben says, and his voice is stern and commanding in a way that Jay did not think he was capable of. "That's enough."

Aziz blinks, then inclines his head; conceding. "Right," he murmurs quietly. "Well seeing as my commentary is clearly not needed, I'll just head on out and take Jay back…"

"Actually, Aziz," Ben continues, and his voice has dropped most of its sternness. "There's some stuff we need to talk about with Jay and the others, since they're all here."

"Yeah, I figured," he drawls easily, scratching the back of his head, but there's a nervousness to his motions that sets Jay even further on edge.

He knows it has the same effect on Mal because he hears her snap her fingers lightly, and Evie sucks air between her teeth. Carlos doesn't make any kind of sound, but Jay knows that he's not any less affected than all of them. 'We need to talks' with an adult of any kind never ended well on the Isle. If you weren't dead by the end, you wished that you were. That instinct is what drives Jay's next words, despite the other part of him that knows it's suicide.

The moment Aziz is gone and the door has shut the four of them in with the adults, Jay reaches a hand back to stop Mal's forward movement and takes a wavering step of his own.

"I should go," he says, trying not to lean so much on the damn crutch, to meet the King's steely eyes and not look as weak as he felt. "I started the fights. I attacked Chad, on the lawn and in the halls; no one else. And…I stole the dwarf kid's book." He swallows hard and ignores Mal's furious hiss of his name, continuing firmly. "I'm the one who should be sent back to the Isle."

There's an almost laughably long amount of silence at his words, and Jay doesn't know if the look on the adult's faces is confusion, relief, anger or something else entirely. But he certainly knows what the choked cursing behind him means, and he winces at the danger in Mal's tone as she growls:

"Jayden. What the absolute _hell_ do you think you're _doing_?"

Her use of his full name would make him smirk in any other circumstance, but no one was amused, and no one had yet to actually counter his statement. He shifts his weight as subtly as he can, but the crutch still clicks rather obnoxiously against the tile, and it seems to at least jar Ben out of his stupor.

"What?" the other boy says, startled. "We're not kicking you out…no one is being sent back to the Isle." Then he pauses, and his brow furrows as his eyes flicker to the adults. "Right?"

Jay stifles his bitter snort, and clamps down on any further reaction as the Fairy Godmother quickly chimes in.

"Of course not," she says quickly, shaking her head. "We wouldn't exile you from the kingdom for something as trivial as bullying."

Then she seems to realize what she's said and goes pale, stammering hastily in her attempt to clarify.

"I…I mean, that is to say…."

Mal grunts softly behind him, but Jay keeps his gaze locked on Ben, waiting for the other boy to break first. He does, his hands fidgeting in front of him and his eyes looking anywhere but directly at Jay.

"Guys," he says nervously. "You're not in trouble. I mean, there will probably have to be um…consequences," he trips over the word, and Jay wonders if it's really that foreign a concept to him. "But no one is being sent away."

"Right," Jay retorts skeptically, and he notices with a hint of triumph that even the Queen was now having trouble meeting his gaze.

"Children," the Fairy Godmother cuts in, and Mal growls her displeasure. "Rest assured that we will not treat you unfairly. While we don't encourage negative behavior such as fighting or bullying, we do understand where your actions come from."

"Do you now?" Jay hears Mal mutter, and he grits his jaw to keep his own challenge from slipping out.

"Now, while I am relieved to see you relatively unharmed," Fairy Godmother continues, either not hearing or choosing not to respond to Mal's taunt. "There are a few things we need to address. For instance, Carlos…"

Jay straightens, and he hears a shuffle of movement that can only be Mal and Evie sliding closer to Carlos' bed. He sees a flicker of an exchange pass between the King and Queen, but he keeps his gaze locked on the Fairy Godmother.

"I received a surprising report from your biology teacher, Mr. Kropp, about some…behavioral issues he's been having in class. Would you like to explain that to me?"

"Ssure," Carlos says, and his voice is full of strained sarcasm. "Mu-mu-my issues or his?"

"What he means," Jay cuts in quickly, before anyone could get too angry. "Is that Kropp hasn't exactly made things easy for either of us, but especially Carlos."

"I knew w-what I meant," Carlos mutters darkly from behind him, but Jay continues with Fairy Godmother.

"You said Carlos could sign in his classes, so he didn't have to worry about talking," Jay accuses. "But then Kropp said he wouldn't give out any 'special treatment' to villains, and that was that. He basically treated Carlos like crap, so it's no wonder he snapped."

"Jay," he hears Carlos growl softly, but the Fairy Godmother blinks, her voice one of surprise.

"I was not aware of any of this," she murmurs quietly. "If you were having trouble you could have come to me."

Jay snorts, and he can almost hear Mal roll her eyes.

"Especially you, Carlos," Fairy Godmother continues. "If Kropp wasn't understanding you or your needs, you could have told me, and I would have handled it, instead of undermining his authority in front of the class."

"Wait, you did what?" Mal hisses, and Jay angles his body so he can glance at Carlos too.

"I didn't u-u-undermine anything," Carlos says tersely. "He asked, and I an-answered."

"But the way it came across..." Fairy Godmother insists gently, but Evie shakes her head, cutting across her.

"Carlos, did you really?" She asks, stunned. "When I gave you those notes I thought you'd write them in a report or something, not..."

"Ssay it in front of pe-people?" Carlos finishes, and Jay grimaces at the sharp bite in his voice.

"Yes," Evie admits, but there's a hint of reluctance in her tone.

"Yes, well," Fairy Godmother says, taking back the conversation. "Regardless, the situation in general is not a good one, which is why we've come up with a solution that will hopefully be beneficial to everyone."

Jay had heard that before, and the only 'benefits' he'd received was being sent here to Auradon.

"Starting at the beginning of next week, Carlos will be taking Chemistry with Evie, and Mal will learn Biology with Jay. And you will all begin Auradon History I with Professor Thatch."

She says it like it's the greatest news in the world, but Jay couldn't care less about history or science. What concerned him was the fact that he was being separated from Carlos, and while it wasn't a big deal on its own- they'd all been apart from each other before- the situation itself made it feel like a punishment.

"This is not something that is being done to hurt you," Fairy Godmother says gently, like she had read his mind. "It is not a punishment. Rather it's something we've come up with in the hope that it will make things easier for you."

"And there's more," Ben cuts in, and he looks actually excited about this 'more.' "We figured since you all clearly have a lot of energy and different talents and skills, that it would be a good idea for you guys to take some extracurricular classes."

"Extra classes," Mal deadpans. "That's a good idea how?"

"Extracurricular," Ben corrects, still with an eager smile. "They're classes that don't necessarily count for a final grade, but are things that students can do for fun, and to enhance a skill or learn something new."

"Thanks," Jay says. "But I think we've got our skill sets covered."

"Think about it, at least," Ben suggests, not put out in the slightest by his tone. "Auradon has a lot to offer, and I think you guys do too."

"Aside from what we have already seen, I hope," the King rumbles, and Jay feels a smirk pulling at his lips. They had no idea what they were capable of. But he was looking forward to showing off.

"Well, that's the good news at least," Fairy Godmother continues. "As Ben mentioned, there will be consequences. Chad is currently receiving stitches for his wounds, and there has been much debate as to what should be done."

Jay tenses, gripping the crutch tighter. He bet he could take out at least Ben and the Fairy Godmother, and if it came down to it they could all gang up on the King...of course that would leave the Queen, but hopefully she'd be smart and either run or just let them go...

"An extra week of detention," the Fairy Godmother's voice cuts through his morbid thoughts. "And an official apology issued to Chad and his family from both Jay and Carlos."

Jay feels some of the tension leave his body at her words. Because this was Auradon, not the Isle. Of course they wouldn't actually do anything...

"And Mr. Kropp has requested that Carlos serve a separate detention with him, as well as apologize for the disruption he caused to the class."

"Hang on," Jay snaps, his hands clenching around the crutch once more. "Don't you mean that the other way around?"

"Jay, that's enough."

It's Mal's voice this time, hard but low, so Jay only just catches her words. He turns on her furiously, but she straightens and meets his gaze with eyes a shade of green he'd only ever seen on Maleficent. There's no sparks this time, but the intensity of her stare alone was enough to give Jay second thoughts. Evie was shaking her head beside Mal, silently pleading with him not to give in to his instincts and meet the challenge. Carlos was still refusing to acknowledge him at all, and Jay turns back to Mal when she growls softly at him for his attention.

"Stand down," she hisses quietly. "We'll deal with it. Don't. Start. Shit."

He grits his jaw in a fierce snarl, and Mal's own lips twist, her expression hardening as her eyes flash just a bit brighter.

"Stand. Down," she repeats, and Jay finds his control slipping, his anger and resolve melting just enough that he can't hold her gaze. He jerks out of her control with a curse, snapping his head to the side and breaking the staring match.

"Cheater," he hisses, but he backs away and lets her step forward and take control.

Jay turns back around in time to see Ben's uncertain gaze, which is reflected in the eyes of all the adults present, the prince shifting his weight nervously before asking:

"Is everything…?"

"It's fine," Mal replies shortly, but then she recovers, or rather, falters. Her balance seems to, at least, and she has to take an extra step before she gets her feet under her again. "Carlos will say he's sorry and we'll all move on with our lives."

"Um," Ben starts to say, but Mal turns her attention back to the Fairy Godmother.

"Is that it?"

"It is, for the present." The answer comes, not from the Fairy Godmother, but from the King, and Jay sucks in a breath while Mal goes rigid and drops her eyes.

"Time will only tell just what will come of this," the man continues sternly. "I will say, that while the past day's events have been resolved - however un-ideally- any future incidents will be looked at quite differently, and will not be taken nearly so lightly. Is that understood?"

Jay grits his jaw against the anger that wants to spill out and nods, and he can only assumed the slight shuffle of sound behind him means that Carlos and Evie are doing the same. Mal inclines her head even further, the fire completely gone from her voice as she answers.

"Very understood, Sir."

The King nods, satisfied. "Good. Now, if that is quite all…" he glances to Ben significantly, and the other boy seems to deflate slightly as he turns back to face them.

"I'll see you guys later, ok? Try not to set anything on fire." He offers a half-hearted grin before he turns and follows after the King and Queen.

"Not funny, Benjamin," Jay hears the King mutter, and then they're gone, and it's just the four of them and the Fairy Godmother.

"Well," she sighs. "That all could have gone much better."

Jay scoffs, and Mal echoes his unamused laugh with one of her own.

"You're telling us," she replies, and the Fairy Godmother shakes her head before offering up a smile of her own.

"While things might not be great right now, I do want you all to know how proud I am of the progress you've made so far."

She seems to be looking at Carlos in particular, and Jay frowns, wondering just what it was she was hinting at that he didn't know about.

"It will get even better," Fairy Godmother promises. "But you are going to have to try."

"Try?" Jay repeats incredulously. "You mean we haven't been trying already?"

"Told you I think we should be singing more," Mal mutters.

"I didn't mean to diminish your achievements, Jay," Fairy Godmother says, and Jay makes a face at her overt and condescending tone. "I just think…you all can come across very intense, and so perhaps you could try and take in some more Auradon influences."

"Yeah, you say 'influence' and I hear 'manipulate,'" Jay replies warily, shifting his weight and trying to hide his wince as his ribs twang painfully.

"We'll try, though," Mal cuts in, shooting him a sharp look. "The Auradon way." She smiles at Fairy Godmother, who returns it with obvious relief.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Mal," she says with a sigh, before straightening with obvious intent. "Now children, it is getting late, and the three of you still have classes in the morning…."

"Wait, three of you?" Jay repeats, and Fairy Godmother blinks at him slowly.

"Yes, Jay," she says. "Carlos, Mal and Evie will still continue their classes while you remain here to heal."

"Excuse me?" he mutters, glaring at her, and she looks startled at his dark tone.

"You do still have severe injuries, Jay," she says softly. "Despite our magic, we can only do so much. You will be staying here for at least the remainder of the week."

"This is bullshit!" Jay snarls, ignoring Mal's fierce glare. "You think I haven't had broken bones before? I've had worse than this when I was 12, but I still went out and stole for Jafar's shop."

The look on the Fairy Godmother's face made him pause, and he cast his eyes to the ceiling as he tried to figure out what he had said wrong. Then it hits him, and he shifts his weight again, gripping the crutch tightly.

"I meant…my Dad's…shop," he tries to correct lamely, but she still was staring at him strangely, and it was starting to get really annoying.

"What could possibly…" Fairy Godmother starts to say, then she seems to catch herself, as well, and shakes her head. "Regardless of what may have happened in the past, it is against school policy to release a student from the infirmary less than 48 hours after a major injury. 24 for a minor one," she adds, almost to herself. "But of course, given the circumstances and the extent of your injuries, the rest of the week is perfectly acceptable."

"Fucking bull," Jay growls again, resentment coloring his tone.

"Hey if you're so eager for homework, I'll make sure to bring it to you after class," Mal mutters, and though her words are a joke, he can tell from her tone that she's just as upet about the arrangement as he is.

"That's a wonderful idea, Mal," Fairy Godmother praises. "Of course you'll be allowed to visit after class."

"And it's only a few more days," Evie tries to encourage. "Don't worry, we won't get into trouble without you." She winks at him, and Jay can't help but grin back, feeling some of his nerves lessening.

"W-w-who knows?" He hears Carlos say, and Jay turns to see that the other boy had shoved himself away from his bed and was already heading for the door. "Maybe we'll even enjoy ourselves."

Jay flinches at the dark look in Carlos's eyes as he stares at him, and he doesn't miss the meaning in the boy's words. The Fairy Godmother seems to miss it entirely, however, as she smiles and says:

"That's the spirit, Carlos!"

Evie gives Jay a knowing look, and nods her head in Carlos' direction, the younger boy having made it to the door, and was shifting his weight anxiously back and forth. "We'll talk to him," she says softly. "He'll come around."

"Yeah, maybe by the time we've graduated," Jay mutters back, and Evie purses her lips.

"I'll talk to him," she repeats, before making her way over to the door as well.

"Alright then," Fairy Godmother says cheerfully. "The Dining Hall is just finishing clearing up now, so let's get you three down and get you something to eat before curfew. And don't worry, Jay," she adds quickly. "The fairies will get you back to your room and bring you something to eat too."

"I can find my own way back," Jay grumbles, but he's relieved at least to hear that food would actually be brought to him.

"Please," Mal scoffs at him, rolling her eyes. "Like you're not thrilled about skipping classes and basically being waited on."

"Well when you put it that way," Jay muses, smirking at her. "I could get used to it."

"And like Evie said, we won't get into any trouble without you," her eyes sparkle a lighter shade of green, and Jay almost wants to laugh, but controls himself with Fairy Godmother present.

"If you do," he advises. "Make sure you do it with some of my special flair; at least my presence will still be felt."

Mal snorts and shakes her head. "Yeah, I'll leave the 'flair' for Carlos."

"Um, exc-use me?" Carlos protests; and although he laughs as they all file out the door, Jay can't help but feel a slight twinge in his chest. And he's pretty sure it has nothing to do with the broken ribs.

* * *

Audrey

"What are you thinking, babe?" Audrey asks as she watches Ben carefully. They were back in his room, but this time he wasn't pacing a frantic hole in the carpet. She sat on the foot of his bed, poking at his feet, while he lay flat on his back on top of the sheets, staring blankly up at the ceiling. The light from the bedside lamp illuminated their half of the room, throwing shadows across his face and darkening his expression.

"You know what I'm thinking," Ben mumbles, barely even blinking as he adjusts his feet away from her reach.

"I can't read your mind," Audrey teases lightly. "Last I checked, I didn't have any magical abilities."

"I get it," Ben huffs, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I screwed up. You don't have to keep reminding me. Dad does that enough already."

Audrey sighs, and shifts her body a little closer. Not too close, of course. But close enough that Ben actually lifted his head an inch to look at her.

"I don't think you screwed up, Ben," she says quietly, and he makes a scoff that sounds almost like a growl before flopping back down dramatically.

"You do," he insists. "You're just too perfect to admit it."

"Hm," Audrey hums, frowning exaggeratedly. "Perfect and can read minds. Two out of three, then."

"Stop," Ben groans. "You're not helping."

"Well what would you like me to do then, Ben?" she snaps, a little harsher than intended. "And yes, I am aware of what I just said. What do you want me to say? That I think you were wrong and should send them all back to the Isle? That you never should have tried this in the first place? That absolutely no good could come from…"

"Ok, ok," Ben protests, sitting up sharply and glaring at her. "I get it."

"But you don't, clearly," Audrey continues, not backing down. "If you want to know what I think, then here it is: I think you need to stop being a whiny prince and actually do something for once."

"Um, ow," Ben says, his blue eyes wide as he blinks at her.

"I love you, Ben, you know that," Audrey says gently, reaching out and squeezing his hand. "But I think you need to learn to take charge of things. You're going to be King in a few months, and you can't keep going through it the way you are now."

"Still kind of ow," Ben murmurs, his brow furrowing slightly. "If you're trying to make me feel better, you're kind of failing."

"I'm trying to make you understand," Audrey sighs, leaning forward to try and make him see her better. Hear her. "You made your decree thinking that you could bring some children over from the Isle; that an experience in Auradon would somehow magically make things ok. We'd bring them over, give them food and maybe sing a few songs and we'd all learn from each other and it'd be some great coming-of-age thing."

"I knew something was missing," Ben replies meekly. "I told Doug we should be singing…."

"Ben," Audrey deadpans, and he sighs, bringing his gaze up to meet hers.

"I'm sorry," he says, twisting his hand out of her grip and clenching it against the sheets. "You're right, as always. About all of it. About…about me."

"I'm not saying you're wrong," she repeats steadily, refusing to let him wallow again. "But you have to think of it from their perspective. From the VK's perspective, Auradon abandoned them…worse, threw them away…and the only reason they're being treated well now is as part of some political move by the prince."

"What? I don't…politics?"

Audrey has to stifle a laugh as Ben's face screws up, and it's adorable because it's like he can't tell whether to be confused or offended, but his face tries to convey both at once.

"And what's V K?" he adds with a frown.

This time, Audrey does laugh, shifting a little closer to him in her excitement. "You like that?" she asks with a grin. "Lonnie and I came up with it…well, mostly Lonnie. It's short for 'villain kid.'"

"That's…actually pretty clever," Ben admits, and Audrey smiles a little wider.

"I'll be sure to let her know you approve."

"Ok, but catchy acronyms aside, what did you mean by politics? Cuz anyone who knows me knows I don't really do politics."

Audrey sighs, suddenly regretting having to be the voice of reason. She wouldn't have minded some more lighthearted teasing.

"Yes, well _they_ don't know that. Best case scenario is that you're doing it as some scheme to make yourself look good to the rest of Auradon."

"That sounds pretty bad to me," Ben says slowly, and Audrey purses her lips, thinking back to the few interactions she had seen with the VKs; how they seemed to reject the very idea of any softness or kind gestures. It was something she definitely needed to talk with them about, that is, if they ever gave her the chance.

"I think," she begins softly. "I think for them, worst would be because you actually care."

"But…but I _do_ care," he murmurs, and Audrey sighs sympathetically, offering a grim sort of smile.

"Then you're going to have to prove it," she says. "This was your idea, for better or worse. So now you need to start making things better."

"And what if I can't?" he asks, his brow furrowing worriedly. "What if I really am just as naïve and clueless as they all think I am?"

"You? Clueless?" Audrey scoffs, feigning offense. "Never!"

He manages a laugh this time, and when she leans over to kiss him, their shadows blend together on the wall so it's impossible to tell where one begins and the other ends.

* * *

Carlos

"Sso you're not gonna turn into a dr-dr-dragon or anything, right?"

"Shut up Carlos."

"Ju-just checking."

Carlos sat on his bed, fiddling with the main part of his project. He'd managed to find a small torch from the Auradon workshop, and had successfully seared a minuscule hole into the top of the metal box. With any luck, he'd be able to get a wire through and redirect currents through it. His other project wasn't going nearly as well, being comprised mostly of junk and spare foil wrappers from the Isle. He was thinking he might just end up scrapping it and starting over, maybe smuggle some working parts from the workshop.

"I can't believe you actually _bit_ Chad!" Mal snarls, and Carlos rummages through his kit, trying not to meet the fire in her eyes.

"I can," Evie says from J- from the other bed. "Remember that time in detention? And Leroux had…."

"Don't," Carlos warns, a shudder going through his body before he could stop it. Evie might have thought it funny, but that was only because she hadn't been there for what had come before. She hadn't heard Leroux's comments, or seen the looks. But Carlos had. So had Mal, but that was a different matter entirely.

"What happened to sticking together and just trying to survive?" Mal continues, and Carlos bites his lip, averting his eyes and twisting another gear into place.

"I think you're being a bit overdramatic, M," Evie murmurs, and Mal whirls furiously on her heel.

"I'm sorry if my being worried offends you, _princess_."

Woah. Carlos snaps his head up, eyes wide, his project falling to his lap. He darts an anxious glance over to Evie, to see that the other girl looks equally stunned, but it's already threatening to dissolve into something more emotional. He'd heard the nasty comments some of the girls had made when they'd first arrived; how Evie was nothing to them, and any titles she may have had were stripped because of the Isle.

Mal obviously realizes her mistake, her anger melting away as her body goes rigid, her eyes closing in a grimace.

"Fuck," she hisses through her teeth, her eyes opening and focusing on Evie. "E, I didn't mean to snap."

"Yes you did," Evie counters with a tight smile, her voice wavering slightly. "But it's ok."

"It's not, though," Mal persists, taking a step like she were going to start pacing again, then pausing. "Everything is not ok. We still don't have any plan for the wand, Jay is gone, and pretty much every adult is screwing us over in some way or another…"

She stops suddenly, clenching her jaw tightly. Carlos swallows hard against his own emotions, hating that her found himself agreeing with her. Especially…damn.

"Mal," Evie whispers, and Carlos blinks, looking up again while his fingers probe mindlessly at his project. "It's going to be ok. Jay is fine; for once he's actually in good hands. We'll figure things out for the wand, and as for the rest-"

Something wicked flashes through the other girl's eyes, her head turning to catch Carlos' gaze. He straightens, a small smirk of his own flickering across his face.

"How does another trip to the lab sound?" Evie asks, and Carlos grins a little wider.

"T-tell me wwhen."

* * *

"Ok…now stir until it turns blue," Evie instructs, her attention fixed on the page in Mal's spell book.

Carlos frowns at the 'cauldron,' stirring the definitely-not-blue potion. "Is it ssuposed to be sm-smoking like that?"

"Yes," Evie says, her eyes barely glancing in his direction. "Wait…yeah, it's fine. Good, actually."

"It's not blue," Mal chimes in a helpful deadpan from her place at the door.

Carlos scowls at her, but he can't help but echo her lackluster thoughts. The thrill of the successful potion was starting to wear off, and he had a suspicion he knew exactly why. He grips the glass a bit tighter in his hands, stirring with vigor as he imagines that the cauldron is Jay's face, and the potion bubbles energetically, the liquid shimmering a very faint color.

"E-evie!" he chokes out, stunned. "It's blue!"

Evie squeals silently, almost scattering the remaining ingredients in her haste to rush over. Even Mal curses appreciatively, and Carlos finds himself tensing in anticipation of Jay's response. Only to realize once again, that the other boy was not with them and so he had no need to fear a 'friendly' punch or a rough ruffling of his hair. He doesn't like it. He likes it even less that he actually cares, and focuses back on the potion as Evie starts gushing enthusiastically.

"…we need now is the final steps from you Carlos," she says, and Carlos groans slightly, dropping the stirring stick.

"D-don't tell me I have to ssing," he mumbles, and Evie laughs quietly.

"No you don't have to sing," she says.

 _'As if you could,'_ says a voice that sounds too much like someone else's. _'It would probably come out like you're rapping or something.'_

Carlos frowns, and almost fires back a retort, but then he notices Evie is staring at him expectantly, and realizes he's completely missed her instructions.

"Ssorry," he mumbles, and she rolls her eyes with a sigh.

"I said," she repeats. "You just have to talk for a bit."

"W-w-what do I ssay?" Carlos asks, ducking his head. Suddenly he's aware of just how much he trips over his words, just how bad his stupid stutter really was.

"Anything," Evie replies, seeming not to notice his discomfort. "I'll stir, to keep it bubbling, but you just talk."

"W-w-will it ssteal my voice?" he squeaks, and _the voice_ snorts out a laugh in the back of his mind.

 _'Probably end up doing yourself a favor,'_ it chuckles. _'Can't trip if you can't talk, right?'_

"Not this one," Evie assures proudly. "I modified it, so it won't steal your voice, only copy it."

"And Kropp?" Mal asks, her eyes still on the door though her body is fixed on them. "What'll it do to him?"

"Carlos will talk into the potion now, and it'll copy his voice," Evie explains, reading from the book as she goes. "The potion itself will act as a vessel, so when Kropp drinks it, his own voice will mute, and Carlos' will take its place."

"Won't that instantly tip him off as to who did it?" Mal scowls, her head turning to glare at Evie, who shakes her head.

"Nope," she says, still with that proud tone. "It'll still be Kropp's own voice talking, but just with Carlos' borrowed stutter."

"Ooh!" Carlos gasps, straightening in realization.

"That's pretty awesome, E," Mal praises, and Evie beams a little more.

"But that's not even the best part," she says, leaning across the table to stare intently at him. "While the potion is in effect, your stutter will be transferred to Kropp, so…"

"Sso I'll be a-able to talk?" Carlos finishes, completely stunned. "R-really?"

"Really," Evie confirms with a nod.

"Damn, Evie," Mal mutters. "That's…that's just wow."

"I know, right?" Evie replies, before composing herself quickly, grabbing the stirring stick from where it had fallen on the table. "Now, Carlos, start talking."

* * *

It was a few hours later, and after several recitations of 'She sells sea-shells by the sea shore,' and, 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,' and, 'How now brown cow?' and 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?' plus any other number of words and rhymes and stories for Carlos to recite; he was exhausted.

Evie had declared the potion a success, and so now the only thing to do was find a way to slip it into Kropp's drink of choice. That would be Carlos' job, and he figured breakfast might be a good time to scope things out and see if he could find where Kropp sat with the other teachers. Carlos couldn't deny that he was thrilled, and the thought of getting revenge- of actually being able to talk!- was the only thing filling his mind.

He was so caught up in it, that he almost didn't notice they were back at the dorms until the girls stopped at the door. Carlos blinks, bringing his eyes up and frowning when he doesn't recognize the number at the top. Then his eyes adjust, and his frown deepens as he glances questioningly to Mal and Evie. He starts to sign, remembering the lateness of the hour and just where they were, but Evie cuts across him, her voice a sympathetic whisper as she opens the door.

"We thought…with Jay still in the infirmary, you might feel more comfortable sleeping with us."

He starts to scoff, then a retort slips into his mouth before the sound could come out and he ends up choking. By the time he's finished silently drowning and the words actually start to form, Mal had already shut the door behind him and turned on the light.

"F-f-f-fine," Carlos all but spits, and Mal snorts at his attempt.

"Pick a bed," she tells him, tugging her jacket off. "Just not mine."

"Nno," Carlos hisses, backing towards the door. "I meant _I'm_ f-fine. I can ssleep in my own ro-room."

"You sure?" Evie asks, her brow furrowing. "Because we have plenty of room, and you can't possible snore worse than Mal."

"Um, excuse me?" Mal retorts, her eyes lighting green, seeming without her noticing.

"You do snore," Evie replies easily, tugging off her shoes and placing them neatly beside her bed. "Just because you have the blood of a dragon doesn't mean you have to sleep like one."

"I do not…"

"Guys!" Carlos snaps impatiently. "I'm not a little k…id. I can ssleep in my own room," he repeats.

"By yourself," Mal seems all too happy twisting the knife. "Completely alone. Without Jay or any of us there."

"I've sslept by myself before," he grumbles, just short of an actual growl. "And I didn't al-al-always have you."

"I mean, true but, ever since you have had us…"

"I'll be f-fine," he retorts, cutting Mal off. "Ssee you in the mmorning."

"Goodnight," Evie offers, but he's already twisting the doorknob, yanking open the door and doing his best not to slam it in his haste to get out of the room.

It was too stifling, the room, Mal, Evie. He just needed to get back to his room…get back his room and….

Carlos blinks, shaking his head hard to clear it. It was stupid just how much he was letting this affect him. But it was affecting him, and he swallows against the tightness that threatens to choke off his air. He was fine, he wasn't going to freak out again. He just needed to get back to his room and he would be fine.

He takes a step, and wonders if Jane was right, if he really should do theatre. After all, he was so good at making faces he could actually make himself believe in them too.

* * *

Beast

It's not often that the King of Auadon lets his anger get the better of him, his days as a beast serving as a painful reminder of what would happen if he lost control of himself in such a way. But given the recent circumstances (and the other, actual reminder of the aforementioned beastliness) it was no small wonder that one could find the King pacing a rather furious circle before the fireplace in one of his castle's smaller entertaining rooms.

"The nerve of that boy!" he snarls, turning a sharp corner and tramping back over the carpet. "I knew there was a reason I hadn't wanted him included in meetings."

Never mind the fact that he also refused to acknowledge the Arabian lad as anything even resembling royalty.

"To accuse us in such a way," the King continues vehemently. "Not to mention the villains themselves! If it were up to me, I'd have them all sent back to the Isle immediately, good will aside…."

It occurs to him somewhere between when he stops for breath and when he turns another furious corner, that his usual voice of reason and calm had been suspiciously silent. He turns, slower this time, to the chair set at an angle just off of the fireplace, and frowns at the pensive look on his wife's face.

"Belle?" he asks, his voice gruff and low with concern.

She blinks, but doesn't meet his eyes, instead staring into the fireplace as she speaks. "Do you remember the deer?"

Her voice is soft, and barely carries farther than her lips, but he's able to hear her anyway. Some things yet remained from his curse; blessings on some days and…curses on the others. But he's able to hear, not just her words, but the way her voice breaks ever so slightly on the word 'deer.'

It brings him up short, and he finds himself taking a half step closer to her, his fury fading ever so slightly as he tries to understand.

"I don't…" he begins, but she speaks again, her eyes still on the dancing flames.

"The deer," she repeats quietly, and there's that small break again. "That day, in the beginning. When we first…met."

She's being delicate, dancing around him with her words, and he hates it when she does that. It means he's lost himself again, that he'd returned enough to his beastly ways that she felt she had to tiptoe around him, that fear that lingered softly in the back of her mind, and in the pit of his stomach. That dreadful 'what if?' that seemed to hinge on every move.

But her words are what hit him, their meaning not lost on him even if he were closer to beast than man. 'When we first met.' When she'd been nothing more to him than a prisoner, something for him to use and break. When he was still a beast.

He hadn't been lying, back in the conference room. He couldn't remember, or at least, he refused to remember- what it had been like before. Before Belle; or rather, before he had opened himself up to her. Anything before that was just a dark spot in his memory, a forbidden East Wing that yielded nothing but horror.

So when Belle said, 'do you remember the deer?' he had to keep himself from cringing back as his memories thrust dark and grisly images at him, rattling doors that shouldn't be opened.

"No," he finally manages thickly. "I don't remember a deer."

She hums softly, but it's not a cheerful sound, and to hear something so unpleasant come from her is far more startling than his own warped mind.

"It was before," she says. "Mrs. Potts and the others had just finished making me a rather illicit meal and were taking me to my room."

She pauses in thought, and he can't help but wince. He remembered some of it, at least. How he'd threatened to keep her from eating…how he _had_ kept her from eating. He'd always assumed, when she clearly hadn't wasted away to nothing, that his servants must have been giving her something, but to hear her bring it up now; it made him want to hide away from himself; to forget that he'd ever been that way.

"Anyway," she says, and he forces himself to look at her again, to not remember even though she was forcing him to. "We were just coming down the stairs, and suddenly a door bangs open and there you were…with a deer."

It hits him then, almost like a physical slap across the face, and he's suddenly in the moment again. His fur is thick and matted, itchy around his neck where his cloak had been twisted around his shoulder. He has something, in his claws, across his back. There's a savory, metallic taste on his tongue. And a girl…eyes as wide as the creature he'd just dragged in…staring at him in something like realization, but which a part of him knows must be horror….

"Why," he rasps, then he clears his throat and tries again. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because I think...," and then she stops again, her lips pressing tightly together and her eyes flickering to his for _just a second_. And then she continues, and she's dancing again, spinning circles and just out of reach. "It never really occurred to me until then to see you as a beast. You were the beast, and you were a beast, but it never struck me until then that you were…what you were."

"Belle?" he asks again, almost pleading with her to make sense. To really speak to him.

"Aladdin was right," she says, meeting his eyes fully, a firm expression on her face that is heightened by the fire that splashes across her cheeks and jaw. "We've forgotten who we are, and who were are involves people who…who threw others away like trash and left them to rot."

He wants to retort, but he can't. The memory is still too raw, too fresh and new in his mind. He almost regrets asking her to stop dancing with her words; he almost wants to ask her to dance. To just forget it all and just be, for a little while. But he can't, because she's right. Because he is still a beast, despite his human form. Because he remembered the deer.

"They're villains, Belle," he tries, weakly. It only makes the fire flash brighter, and he realizes that it's not just the physical fire; it's the one in her eyes.

"And you were a beast," she replies. Not arguing, stating. "You were a beast and how could I not have seen? Not have realized that of course, given the environment and just how ingrained it was in your nature; of course there would have been…deer."

He winces again, because he realizes now what this is. What he is, and what the deer really means to her in this moment.

"What sort of environment have we sacrificed those children to?" she whispers hoarsely, and he can almost smell the salt of her tears, even from here. "What have we done? What have we left them to experience…what have they experienced that even here in Auradon they can't escape?"

He knows that she's crying now, even before her body starts to shake. He knows it because of the burning in his eyes, the way his throat seems to swell with the painful weight of a stone.

"They're more than just villains, Adam," Belle manages to get out, and despite her tears her voice is still resolute. "And we need to make sure they know that, too."

He doesn't trust his voice, doesn't trust his own feelings to properly convey everything he wants to say. Instead he just nods mutely, and when he turns to pace again, it's with a heavier step than before. His thoughts chase each other around restlessly; the knowledge that she was right, but also the deep, instinctive fear of all that could happen if she were wrong.

* * *

 **Ok, final note! Just wanted to send a quick shout out to those who reviewed so far on my April Fools update!**

 **butterfly 3 girl: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it so much. :) I'm not sure yet if I'll continue any of these. Maybe once I've finished some of my other stuff.**

 **GenderqueerWriter: I liked the Harry Potter one too. Personally, it was definitely my favorite. I was going to include an appearance by Peeves, but figured that that encounter probably wouldn't have ended well for anyone involved. ;)**

 **hershey201214: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully this update was soon enough for you! ;)**

 **Tiredandlazy: I had fun writing them. I'm glad it was nice, I wasn't sure how it would go over. Either you guys would like it, or you'd hate it because it wasn't an actual chapter, lol. But I'm happy to hear you liked it, and I had to do some Jaylos wish fulfilling since IOTIS is sadly lacking.**

 **bookgirl111: Aw, I'm glad you liked it so much you want me to continue. I'm not sure if I will, but I was thinking about it, if enough people actually wanted to read it. But for the time being I'll work on finishing the fics I have going now and we'll see what happens after. :)**

 **danifan3000: Thanks again for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll continue any of my Fools shorts, but if I do, it probably wouldn't be until after I finished my current projects.**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: The Hogwarts one was my favorite too! That last one was Once Upon a Time, but it's ok if you haven't seen it. I enjoyed the earlier seasons better, but it's still a really good show. Hopefully this update was just as good for you. :)**


	16. If it don't hurt now just wait a while

**Hey guys!**

 **May the Fourth be with you all, and extremely overdue Easter wishes to those who celebrate.**

 **I am back, finally! Brand new chapter with lots of feels incoming. I hope it was worth the wait but I'll understand if I find a mob with pitchforks outside for the delay.**

 **Anyway, let's jump on into the reviews! (Just jump on over the reviews and straight into the chapter/Author's Notes if you wish.)**

 **Tiredandlazy: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters and that I was able to make your night in however small a way. I hope you're doing ok and maybe this chapter will further help. :) And Harry Potter has definitely petered out of the 'mainstream,' but it still has a strong fanbase that is kicking and screaming, lol. I think it's making a bit of a comeback with the new side books that Rowling is writing to expand on the universe and background worlds/characters. It's pretty neat, actually, how in depth she's going and I for one am thrilled, lol!**

 **Guest1: I'm glad I could satisfy, haha. Hopefully this will be equally satisfying for you.**

 **Call Me Random: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and that I was able to make you emotional, lol. I hope you'll continue to enjoy.**

 **hershey201214: Sorry, the update was not soon, haha, but I'm so glad to hear how much you're enjoying this story. And I'm especially happy you enjoy my characterization, since I always worry about how my characters are coming across. I will definitely keep writing and I hope you will keep reading and enjoying! :)**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: Thank you so much for all your kind words! It always makes me happy to hear that people are enjoying my writing, even if it's just fanfiction (for now, lol) I'm glad you like this story so much and are enjoying the way I portray the characters. I agree, I am also a bit sick of the 'rich bitch' stereotype, lol, and there definitely needs to be more fleshed out characters in general with Disney. But yes, Chad is a bit of an ass, but don't worry, I plan to develop him too.**

 ***Deep breath* Ok, about to impart some deep and important writing secrets here. Step 1: Write. Step 2: ….uh, that's all I got.**

 **Lol, but in all seriousness, it's the best advice I've been given and the best I can impart to you in turn. Always be writing, even if you think the idea isn't that good. Carry a notebook with you (or use the notes app in your cell phone since we're all so technically minded.) and write down things that catch your attention: weird street names, an interesting looking bit of graffiti. Take snippets of conversations you hear and turn it into a dialogue for a story. Pay attention to people. (And by that I mean stalk them, lol.) Notice the way people talk, the accents they use, the random 'catchphrases,' like someone who always says 'cool,' when they agree with something, or 'yass,' or whatever.**

 **Seriously, I have a whole notes section in my phone just for random snippets of dialogue I hear that interest me and adapt to conversations for stories. I have another notes section dedicated to character names and meanings, and yet another for just random things I happen to notice while I'm out that day. For example, I was taking a road trip with my family once, and the GPS told us to turn onto a road that didn't exist. Like, they named the street, but the street itself did not exist; no sign no nothing, just road. So what do I do? Add it to the notebook and now one of my characters will find themselves lost on a road that doesn't exist, lol.**

 **Always always read! That's the true Step 2. Good writers are good readers and vise versa. If you have a certain genre in mind that you want to write, like fantasy or sci fi, find some books in that genre and read them. Make note of the patterns in that genre like the general story length, some classic trends/rules that they all follow. Not saying necessarily copy those same things (you want to be you and stand out as a writer) but it's good to know the rules of the genre you're writing. Like, a Western has to be set in the West, etc.**

 **But honestly, if I have to say just one thing, it's this. Write. Don't be afraid to take risks! Get out of your comfort zone and write a scene you never thought you'd write. Most importantly, be true to you! Don't let anyone tell you that you _have_ to do this _exactly_ (even the advice I'm giving you right now). Write the way you write, and don't try to be anyone different.**

 **And that, Kevin, is my super secret success tips for writing. :D Feel free to PM me too to talk more, and I definitely want to read some of your stuff when you have something you want to share! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Gracfully: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy.**

 **magiclover222: I'm glad you loved the one shots, they were really fun to write. :) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy this story.**

 **starflight34: Thanks for the review! It's ok if you didn't review the last one, I'm just glad to hear from you, lol. I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you'll continue to enjoy.**

 **IWantColoredRain: Thanks for the review. I know this update wasn't soon but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway. :)**

 **KattyRivera: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you reviewed and that you enjoy this story so much. Honestly, we're still in the beginning stages of what I've got plotted out, but I was thinking maybe about 40 or so chapters total….but hey I'm more than happy to oblige and crank out 100 for you, lol! :) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: You're very welcome, thanks for sending in such a great idea. :) I'm glad you enjoyed my little one shots, I had fun writing them.**

 **Thanks for pointing out those mistakes, I'm combing through and fixing them now.**

 **And don't worry, I'm a major theatre fan myself, so I definitely will treat it with the respect it deserves. Not sure if Carlos will join yet, but I've got something planned for him, don't worry. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Codelulu-chan: Hi, welcome to the story and thank you for the review! I did know that about the singing, and I thought it was really interesting to learn. But thank you for pointing it out, too. It's neat to know that other people are learning about it too, and I do actually plan to incorporate it into my story. :) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Shots and Giggles: It's ok, I've been out too, haha. But we're both back now, and it's good to hear from you! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters. I agree, they definitely got used to Auradon way too fast, especially considering all the technology and the lack thereof on the Isle. And yes, I figured if anyone could relate, it's Aladdin. And of course, there's others, they just haven't made an appearance yet, though they will! ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Kitty Kat Vixen: Welcome to the story and thanks for leaving a review! I agree, people like Kropp are the worst! I'm glad you like my story so much, and yes, I made Audrey more normal and human, lol. I can't stand people like her in the movie, either, but I figured it was just exaggeration for the sake of the story and so I changed things up a bit. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guest 2: Thank you for your review. I really appreciated all those solid points you mentioned. The reason for it being such a big deal because it's Jay will be revealed in time; I've actually hinted at it a bit here, but yes, I agree. Carlos does have forgiveness issues. But I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy. :)**

 **Guest 3: Yes, Harry Potter reference for the win! :)**

 **Carmine De vil: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this so much and I hope this chapter lives up to expectations.**

* * *

 **Ok, Author's Notes!**

 **We are finally starting to get into the meat of the story, so to speak. We're three days into the VKs Auradon transfer, and so much shit has already gone down. (sorry, language disclaimer) It's about to go down just a little more, as the Auradon kids begin to realize in more ways than one that things with the VKs aren't entirely ok.**

 **Hold onto your viewing devices and maybe tissues if you get emotional easily, as I myself do. (No shame. I am very much a feelings person.)**

 **The standard warnings apply; language, and some more mentions and detailed talks about child abuse/neglect.**

 ******Also, mentions of same sex couples (Male and Male) so for those who are prone to 'disliking' that sort of thing…*thinks of polite way to say too bad* DON'T LIKE DON'T READ. (Sorry, no hate intended, but also no hate will be tolerated so please leave this story now if you don't like the idea of same sex/LGBT couples/relationships because this will be a prevalent theme for this story.)*******

 **Ok, enough from me, I hope you all enjoy and I can't wait to hear from you! Especially all you silent lurkers. Don't be strangers, review!**

 **Thanks!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

Ben

The dorm hallways were moderately busy this time as he approaches two doors. He'd managed to get up early, though Ben suspected that was more to do with his lack of sleep than actual responsibility on his part. He just couldn't get over how horribly wrong things seemed to be going. Not just with the attacks and the problems in classes; the four themselves just weren't…right.

Ben lets out a short sigh, which he quickly sucks back in, plastering a smile onto his face and knocking on the nearest door. He'd decided to pick up Carlos first, since the younger boy was alone with Jay in the infirmary. Granted the boy very well could have slept with the girls like he and Jay had that first night, but he figured it didn't hurt to check.

There was no sound from the other side of the door, and Ben shifts his weight nervously, knocking again a little louder.

"Carlos?" he calls tentatively through the door. "It's Ben, can I come in?"

Ben thinks he hears some kind of noise, but it takes a moment for a word to be made out, and it's broken up and only just audible through the wood.

"O-o-o-open."

He smiles again, and twists the knob, pushing open the door and stepping inside. He nearly trips over a large, tube like device in the doorframe, and Carlos makes a soft noise, scrambling forward on hands and knees to lift the device from under his feet, cradling it carefully to his chest.

"Good morning Carlos," Ben says with a chuckle. Carlos nods his head jerkily, eyes on the ground as he balances the device in his hands, crossing to the giant closet beside his bed and gently sliding the thing inside.

Only once the door is closed securely on the device does Carlos straighten and turn, offering Ben a careful wave in greeting. He still wasn't quite meeting his eyes though, and Ben feels a pang of sadness inside as he realizes that things were basically back to square one. He tries not to let it show on his face though, and instead nods his head in the direction of the open door.

"You want to head over and grab the girls? Then we can all head to breakfast together."

He tries to keep his tone light, and leave the suggestion open for the boy to refuse. But Carlos just nods, and ducks to grab a small bag from under his bed before making his way to the door. Ben goes out first, and Carlos follows behind as they walk the few doors down to Mal and Evie's room.

The door opens before he can knock, and Evie offers Ben a strained sort of half smile, tossing her hair easily over her shoulder.

"Hi," she says lightly, but her eyes are on Carlos, and Ben can see the concern in her gaze. "Um, Mal will be right out."

"I'm here," Mal's voice replies, and there she is, suddenly taking over the door with her presence. And she is _definitely_ looking him in the eye, her own gaze sharp and penetrating. "Ben," she says stiffly.

Ben is reminded of the sparks of magic he had seen last night in the infirmary, and he has to fight not to shudder, to continue meeting Mal's eyes and appear calm.

"Good morning," he says, and she curls her lip at him, her eyes instantly shooting to Carlos.

"You up for breakfast?" she asks, and there's a sort of gentleness in her voice that doesn't match the death glare she'd given Ben.

Carlos grits his jaw and signs, a blur of gestures that Ben doesn't pick up, although the last one; a 'five' shape with his thumb tapped against his chest; he does know.

[Fine.]

"Alright," Ben says cheerfully, smiling despite the tense atmosphere. "Let's head down then."

He tries to ignore how unsettled he feels, and not hear the harsh whispering behind him. It stops when they reach the dining hall at least, although his nervousness still remains. He turns back to face the three VKs, and offers another careful smile.

"Ok, you guys know how it works, right? Just hop on in line and get what you want."

"Yeah," Mal says, and her voice is hard with steel. "We got it, thanks."

"Ok," Ben drawls slowly, glancing over to the others. "Well if you guys want a place to sit, you can always join my table. Um, our table," he amends with a chuckle. "It's me, Audrey, Jane, Lonnie and Doug, so…"

"We're good," Mal snaps, and before Ben could think of anything else to say, she'd stalked towards the buffet, scattering students in her wake.

Evie shook her head, but there was a smile on the other girl's face as she followed Mal's lead. Ben stared after them, a little dazed and slightly disappointed.

"Good talk," he murmurs, and Carlos snorts softly beside him. The other boy's lips twitch, and Ben turns to him, hopeful.

"My offer still stands," he says, and Carlos' not-quite-there smile disappears. "If you want to join us, you can. We're that middle table there."

Ben points it out, and Carlos nods once, before walking briskly away after Mal and Evie. Ben sighs, his own smile slipping from his face as he watches him go.

"Right. Ok."

It was going to be tougher than he thought. He only hoped it wasn't too late to reserve what damage had been done.

* * *

Carlos

"Can you believe him?" Mal snarls, slamming a white carton onto her tray with such force it almost sends the whole thing toppling. "Inviting us to his table; like he's not just trying to show off or talk about how 'good' he is, bringing the poor souls from the Isle and….."

"Mal. Breathe," Evie says shortly, and Mal growls instead, shoving aside a student and snatching something warm and yellow from the buffet. Then Mal turns to the student, browsing their tray before snatching a round orange something and tossing it in the air.

"C, catch," she murmurs, and Carlos only just manages, the thing almost rolling out of his hands.

He frowns at Mal, but she's not looking at him anymore, moving down the line with Evie in tow. Carlos doubts Mal even knows just how close 'perfect Ben' had come to being a perfect stain on the wall. His explosive wasn't done yet, hadn't even been primed or charged, but a good kick; like from being tripped over, still could have easily set it off. Maybe would have even taken out the top floor of the dorms, and it would've sucked because Carlos would've been taken out too and then he'd miss seeing it explode.

He's jerked out of his thoughts by a laugh, and a pair of feet sliding into his vision.

"Hey there, Freckles. Back at it again I see."

Carlos blinks, lifting his head to spot a familiar cocky grin, dark hair swept across the forehead, and mischievous, laughing eyes.

"Aziz," Mal growls, and the Arabian boy laughs again, nodding his head at her and Evie.

"Good morning ladies," he croons smoothly, ignoring Mal's glare and turning back to Carlos. "So," he says. "I went and visited Jay this morning."

Both Evie and Mal give shocked gasps, while Carlos fights the clenching of his stomach and heart. He keeps his face carefully blank, but he's almost certain Aziz can tell it's fake.

"Yeah," the other boy says. "Apparently he's been giving the fairies a hard time, not wanting to rest and recover like he's supposed to."

That's Jay, Carlos thinks miserably. Never doing what he's supposed to.

"What were you doing visiting Jay?" Mal grumbles, and Carlos doesn't miss the threat in her tone. Aziz doesn't either, but he simply blinks a moment before shrugging it off easily.

"What can I say? The guy's grown on me."

Like mold, Carlos interjects mentally. A stupid, slimy bit of mold that you somehow get attached to even when you know you're supposed to hate it.

"Right," Mal retorts. "Like I'd believe that from the guy who's his sworn enemy."

"Enemy?" Aziz gasps, placing a hand to his chest. "I'd never! I consider him more my…friendly rival, or even a long lost evil twin. He's great."

"Well," Mal says tensely. "It's so _great_ that you two are such good friends."

Carlos shuffles his weight nervously, wishing he had some way to escape the conversation. He hated this, hated all of this. He hated that Jay wasn't there, hated how Mal kept hovering, how Evie kept giving him sideways looks like she expected him to start breaking things, or worse breaking down. He just needed it all to stop, to just get away and…

"Anyway," Aziz drawls, carefully edging away from Mal's now green-eyed glare. "I came over in part by his request, Carlos. He wanted me to make sure that if you pissed off that biology teacher of yours again to record it somehow so he could see. Lonnie showed me the pictures and I kinda want you to record it too."

Carlos feels a tentative smile creeping onto his face, and he actually exchanges a sort of laughing glance with the other boy. Maybe he wasn't so bad, and things could actually be good here. That Aziz seemed actually genuine in his talk of his Jay's relationship, how the other boy was equally ready with a laugh or a joke. How he didn't pry, even when it was obvious that Jay's message was clearly just the Isle boy's way of checking up on Carlos. Even though Carlos had pushed him away, he was still making sure he was ok, and Carlos was finding his resolve weakening.

Then Mal's voice cuts in and shatters his forgiving and optimistic thoughts.

"Well," she say tightly. "There won't need to be any recording because we're all just keeping our heads down for now. Right Carlos?"

"R-right," Carlos says, his voice clipped with barely concealed anger.

"Well hey," Aziz says. "If you guys want to keep your heads down with company, you should come and join the table. I promise _we_ won't bite."

And he winks at Carlos, who actually feels a laugh bubbling in his throat that he has to swallow to keep it from becoming audible. He thinks, fleetingly, that there should be more danger being presented here, that surely it couldn't be this easy. And of course…it wasn't.

"Thanks," It's Evie this time, and though the girl's voice is much more light and open than Mal's, there's still something testy there. "But we're fine where we are."

"Appreciate the offer," Mal mutters, not even glancing back as she starts away, towards the corner table Carlos had found that first day. "Come on guys."

And that did it. Carlos straightens, hefting his bag a little higher on his shoulder. He's not sure where his sudden ballsiness was coming from, but he grabs the most edible looking thing off the buffet, slides a carton of something onto his tray and turns to Aziz.

"I-I-I-I'm in."

Carlos' voice isn't as loud or as firm as he wants it to be, but he knows he's been heard when Aziz grins broadly, and Evie gasps behind him.

"Carlos!" she hisses sharply, and there's a soft squeak that he knows is Mal's shoes on the fake wood/rubber floor.

"Wwhat?" he snaps, and the firmness he'd been looking for earlier was now very much there.

Mal has turned around now, and Carlos thinks the only reason she hasn't torched him where he stood was because she seemed confused as to why he was still standing by Aziz.

"What are you doing, Carlos?" Mal asks, and Carlos bristles at the tone in her voice; that threatening-worried thing she only did for him. When she was trying to control him but be subtle at the same time.

He straightens and presses his lips tightly together, gripping his tray tightly to keep his hands from shaking, though he knows better than to hope for the same with his voice.

"I'm going wwith him," he says. "To-to-to the table."

Mal's face twitches, her head cocking slightly to the left. "What?"

"Mal," Evie murmurs softly, her eyes flicking pointedly in Aziz's direction. Mal grits her jaw, her face twisting into something cold and fierce, and Carlos tightens his own expression, letting his mask take over his usually soft features.

He could see the surprise cross through her eyes at his challenge; he was surprised himself. He had never once deliberately gone against the group or challenged Mals' authority, and here he was doing both at the same time. And all because of this stupid trip to Auradon. Or maybe, not so stupid.

"You guys are more than welcome to come," Aziz says, noticing the tension and yet still somehow managing to smile at them. "There's plenty of room and I'm sure…"

"I'd rather die," Mal deadpans, but she's glaring at Carlos, and he doesn't miss her not-so-subtle threat.

"Thank you for the invitation," Evie says, a little more civilly. "But we're fine where we are."

 _I'm not_ , Carlos thinks, meeting Mal's gaze despite the death threats. _I wanted more from Auradon, and I think I'm gonna get it, wand or no wand._

"Alright then," Aziz says. "Well if you change your minds…"

"We won't," Mal promises, and Carlos tilts his head ever so slightly to her as he shifts his body away and towards Aziz.

 _Neither will I._

"Ok," Aziz says, clapping his hands together and grinning at Carlos as Mal and Evie turn and depart for the corner table. "Let's head on over."

Carlos nods, but he can't help but grip his tray even tighter, biting the inside of his cheek as he follows Aziz across the dining hall. He knows there's eyes on him, he can hear the whispers, and though he tries to stay focused on Aziz's back in front of him, he can't help but wonder if he'd really made the right decision.

And then suddenly he's standing in front of the table, and there's all new eyes on him and he's certain that this was a mistake. Then Aziz places a hand on his shoulder, and the shock of the contact is enough to jerk him out of his head.

"Guys," Aziz says lightly. "I'm sure you all know Carlos. He's gonna be joining us for breakfast."

* * *

Audrey

The last thing Audrey was expecting that morning was another encounter with one of the VKs. And yet, there was Aziz with the mother of all sly grins, and a casual hand on the shoulder of none other than Carlos de Vil.

"Guys," Aziz says, and Audrey isn't sure how to interpret his easy tone. "I'm sure you all know Carlos. He's gonna be joining us for breakfast."

Audrey blinks in shock, and she glances sharply over at Ben to see that he's just as caught off guard as she is. Even though it had been his idea to invite the VKs to their table, she can tell he hadn't thought any of them would accept. A quick glance around the table reveals that everyone else seemed to feel similarly, although strangely enough it's Jane who recovers first, the youngest of their group actually smiling.

"Really?" she says, and Audrey looks back to see Aziz nod enthusiastically.

"Yeah really," the other boy replies. "But I'm actually going to duck out and see if I can find Nikki. I might have promised him a breakfast date."

"Wait so you're just going to leave us with…Carlos?" Doug squeaks, and Jane shoots the half-dwarf a dark look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snaps, and Audrey blinks at the other girl's outrage.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Doug protests. "It's a valid concern!"

"It's stupid and offensive," Jane retorts, and Lonnie chuckles, offering Carlos a sly smile of her own.

"I assume Janey's sudden attitude change has something to do with you," she says. "In which case I'll say it's about time, and thanks for that."

"Lonnie!" Jane hisses, blushing furiously.

"What?" the other girl replies with a shrug. "It's true. And anyway, he's just hovering all weird and it's making me nervous so just…sit down, ok de Vil?"

She says it all in a casual rush, so even Audrey doesn't catch the invitation at the end until Carlos himself does. The boy starts, and his eyes flicker nervously around the table before he glances questioningly back at Lonnie.

"I-it's ok?" he asks softly, and Audrey lifts her brows slightly as she catches his stutter. She'd heard about it, of course, but she had never _heard_ it herself. It's soft, but there, and she sees Doug straighten as well, surprise flickering clearly across the other boy's features.

"Well I invited you, didn't I?" Aziz replies lightly, though his head is turned and his eyes roam the cafeteria anxiously.

"Actually," Ben says, finally finding his voice. "I did."

"See there you go," Aziz says with a quick laugh. "The Golden Boy himself invited you so it's definitely ok. Now if you guys don't mind…"

"Yeah yeah," Lonnie sighs, making a face at him. "Go find your boyfriend."

"Shut up," Aziz snaps, making a face back. "You're just jealous cuz you're not getting any."

"An-an-any what?" Carlos whispers, and the table freezes, panicked and guilty glances exchanged all around.

"And on that note," Ben cries, lifting his hands. "I'm no longer hungry."

"I bet Aziz is," Lonnie mutters cheekily, an almost wicked grin on the other girl's face.

"Lonnie," Audrey cries, horrified, reaching over to pat Doug on the back as he starts to choke.

"I swear, I'll murder you," Aziz says, glaring, though Audrey doesn't miss the slight flush of the boy's cheeks.

"Carlos," Jane chimes in. "Just come sit by me."

"O-ok," he whispers, and Audrey can't help but notice that he wasn't looking any of them in the eyes. He crosses carefully around the table and slides over the bench, placing his bag under his feet. "Wh-what was that…?" he mumbles to Jane, and the other girl shakes her head sharply.

"Don't worry about it," she says quickly.

"B-but…"

"Trust me," Jane interrupts. "You don't want to know."

"How do _you_ know Janey?" Lonnie asks slyly, and Jane casts a glare over at the other girl.

"A certain perverted daughter of a Chinese warrior."

"Oh come on," Lonnie protests with a laugh. "I'm not that bad!"

"Not that bad?" Doug retorts. "Like that time you told us about how you'd…."

"Ok we don't need details, we do _not_ need details!" Jane cries, covering her ears and going pale.

"Not while we're eating, please," Ben agrees.

"Wimps," Lonnie scoffs cheerfully, and Audrey shakes her head, turning her attention back to her granola.

"W-wait, boyfriend?"

Audrey glances up to see Carlos frowning in the direction that Aziz had gone, his brow furrowed in confusion. Or was that worry?

"That's a thing hhere?" he continues, and Doug lifts a brow at him.

"Yeah," the dwarf boy answers sharply. "Why, you got a problem with it?"

"Doug," Ben scolds, and Doug spreads his hands innocently.

"What?" he replies.

"You're being a little harsh," Audrey offers, and Doug frowns, but he leans back in his chair from Carlos, much more non-threatening than before.

"I just meant," Carlos says slowly, his eyes on his tray now. "I mmean, I wa-wasn't sure…that's allowed here?"

Audrey blinks, and exchanges a glance with Ben. She can see her own concern reflected in his eyes, but it's him who speaks up.

"What do you mean 'allowed?'"

Carlos blinks then, his head snapping up and catching her eyes first. Then he seems to notice the rest of the table staring at him, and goes a little pale.

"Nnothing," he says quickly, shaking his head and dropping his eyes to his tray again. "I didn't mean an-anything."

Audrey wants to press; to ask what he had truly meant; what about the idea of Aziz having a boyfriend seemed to bother him. To question what the Isle was truly like. But she bites her tongue, and lets it be, watching Jane slip her hand in Carlos.'

An awkward and tense silence settles over the table, and Audrey lifts another spoonful of granola to her lips, trying to ignore the conflicting feelings inside her. Doug doesn't take his eyes off Carlos, and Lonnie is still frowning, though, all things considered, Audrey isn't quite surprised on that regard.

She is however, surprised when Carlos picks the orange up off of his tray and bites into it, peel and all. He makes a face, but doesn't spit it out; instead he continues chewing a moment before swallowing, and he glares at the fruit like it's offended him.

"Carlos," Jane says, though the girl is laughing softly. "That's not how you eat an orange!"

"I didn't kn-know it wwas an or-ange," he mutters, still frowning at the fruit.

"How could you not know?" Doug retorts. "It's an orange. It's literally orange."

"The only ones I've sseen are g-green," Carlos replies softly, not meeting Doug's eyes. "Or-or-or they have wwhite sspots."

Audrey is suddenly no longer interested in her granola, and Lonnie gags in a slightly over-exaggerated way. Even Doug looks a little green, as he stares at the fruit in Carlos' hands and whispers:

"Green? White spots?"

"Is it not ssupposed to?" Carlos asks, and he actually looks up this time, but he's looking at Jane.

"No," she murmurs, taking the fruit from his hands and beginning to peel it for him. "They're supposed to be orange like this, and you don't eat the skin. You peel it."

"Oh," he mumbles, taking the now peeled fruit back from her and staring at it. "It's only ever been ssoft. We al-always just b-bit through the peel."

Audrey tries not to let the connotations of his words get to her, but there's really no way to ignore it. The fruit had been so rotten that the peel could actually be bitten through; so rotten in fact, that at times there was even mold growing on it. And yet, Carlos talked about eating moldy food as if…as if it were no big deal.

She clears her throat, if only to distract from the situation. "So Carlos," she says, and she's careful to keep her voice light and not too loud. "What are some things you like about Auradon so far?"

"Aside from biting people, of course." The tease comes from Jane, startlingly enough, although what's even more startling is that Carlos actually laughs.

"Wwhy does ev-ev-everyone keep asking me that?" he mutters, though his tone is light enough. "It's nnot like I have al-lot of exp-p-p…" he stops short, blushing as the word sticks somewhere between his throat and lips. He draws a slow breath and tries again, talking a little slower than before.

"It's not li-like we've been here long enough to-to-to say wwhat I like," he finishes, and Audrey notes the way he'd changed his words to fit when he couldn't say what he'd wanted with his stutter. It's an interesting coping mechanism, but she finds it's almost endearing. And resourceful of him.

"Fair enough," Ben replies, smiling at the other boy. "But there has to be something, right? One thing that's different from the Isle that you like about Auradon."

Carlos shrugs, picking at the orange a little more, but not actually eating it. "I guess…I like ha-having a bedroom, e-even if I'm sharing it wwith Jay. But the bed's too ssoft."

"Too soft?" Doug blinks, looking moderately put out.

"Wwwell I used to ssleep on the floor at h-home," Carlos mutters with another shrug. "It's just w-weird having something ssoft."

Silence falls across the table at his words, and Audrey suddenly regrets her questions.

"Well, it's a good change at least. Right?" Ben asks, and Audrey can see the hope pinching his face, that desperate need for _something_ to be positive out of this.

Carlos frowns, looking unsure, and Ben sinks ever so slightly in his chair. Jane reaches over and gives Carlos' hand another squeeze, and it seems to make the other boy relax just a bit. Audrey ponders over that, idly stirring her granola further as she watches Jane instruct Carlos how to pull apart and eat an orange. To see Jane- usually so shy and reserved- now suddenly confident, calm and at peace with herself for once. Audrey thinks that maybe that is a good change about the VKs presence.

"So Carlos," Lonnie breaks the silence next. "You got any more fun surprises planned for biology?"

There's a sly grin on the Chinese girl's face, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Doug shakes his head, his attention on the puzzle cube he'd pulled from his bag.

"Yeah I did hear about that," Ben murmurs, also glancing in Carlos' direction. "Kropp said something along the lines of you were making fun of him?"

"Ju-just telling him wwhat he wanted to know," Carlos replies, and though his lips twitch faintly, his eyes are on Doug's hands as they twist the cube.

There's a curiosity there, and a longing in his eyes, but he chews his orange instead of speaking up, and Audrey is startlingly not as saddened as she thinks when she sees him nibble at the rind. He had said that food was scarce and not in good quality, but still…it's painful to see it and be forced to acknowledge the truth of the situation.

Audrey glances over to see that Doug has almost completely matched the colors on his cube, and she sees Carlos lean forward with interest as Doug slides another section of colors into place. Doug frowns, shifting the cube over and revealing the blue side, and Carlos makes a quiet noise of surprise.

Audrey hides a smile, and Jane giggles softly, pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. Doug looks up and frowns as he notices Carlos' stare, glancing around the table before turning back to meet the other boy's gaze.

"What?" Doug says, and Carlos blinks, shaking his head quickly.

"N-n-nothing," he mumbles, biting his lip nervously. Doug's brows furrow, and he glances back down at his puzzle, sliding another color into place before looking back up to see Carlos hanging on his every move.

"Do…do you want to try it?" Doug offers slowly, and Audrey lifts a brow, surprised. She wouldn't have thought Doug would make an offer like that, but she can tell that the boy himself is just as surprised.

But Carlos nods anyway, and within moments Doug is explaining how the cube works, and a few more moments and Carlos is shuffling pieces around like he's done it his whole life. There's a look of absolute concentration and joy on his face, and Audrey thinks he might just finish the entire puzzle when the bell rings shrilly above them.

Instantly the moment is shattered, as Carlos drops the cube like it had burned him. The look of shock and fear is so strong it almost takes over his entire face, and the sharp gulp of air he takes is one that Audrey instantly recognizes as panic. She straightens in alarm, exchanging a glance with Ben and trying to figure out what to do when Jane takes the initiative; leaning over and placing a gentle -if not tentative- hand to his cheek, the other curling softly around his wrist.

Carlos stiffens at the contact, but Jane doesn't pull back, doesn't take offense. She just purses her lips and talks softly, her voice low but firm.

"Hey Carlos," she says, not breaking eye contact despite the fact that Carlos' eyes don't seem to focus on her. "It's just the bell, nothing to worry about."

He blinks and nods jerkily, his eyes flickering over the table before seeming to realize that he was being stared at. He blushes, resolutely not making eye contact and slowly pulling away from Jane's hands.

"I kn-know it's the b-ell," he mumbles in a voice that Audrey can only just hear from her place a few feet down. "It just ssurprised me."

"I'll say," Lonnie chimes in, and Carlos' blush deepens, spreading across his jaw.

"Ssory," he whispers again, and he carefully reaches over and grabs the puzzle cube, placing it in front of Doug with trembling fingers. "Ssory," he repeats, almost frantically, seeming to tuck into himself as he draws his arm back. "I-I-I didn't mean to…"

Audrey frowns, the sudden shift in the boy more than just a little disconcerting. It was almost like…like he was expecting some kind of reprimand for his reaction. And the way he continued even now to apologize in a low tone to Doug, made Audrey pause.

Doug notices it too, and there was something calculating in the dwarf boy's eyes as he peers through his glasses at Carlos. Audrey knew that look; it was the same look he got when he was working out a particularly challenging equation. A decision of some kind was made, and Doug straightens grabbing the puzzle cube and reaching back over to Carlos.

And here's where the 'not right' solidified itself in Audrey's mind.

Carlos stiffens, his eyes shutting as a low and quiet noise echoes in his throat. Jane presses her lips together tightly, while Ben straightens and Lonnie's brow furrows, her lips parting like she wants to say something, but doesn't know what. Doug, for his part, doesn't even blink; although Audrey can see the flicker of his eyes that he determinedly masks with a smile.

"Hey," Doug says, and Carlos' eyes open, widening in shock at the sight of the cube before him. "It's fine, I didn't mind."

Carlos doesn't say anything, his eyes darting back and forth between the cube and the hand attached to it, never once lifting his gaze any higher to meet Doug's face.

"I have to get to class," Doug continues, still in that casual tone. "But do you want to hang onto the puzzle?"

Instead of smiling, or reacting in any positive way, however, Carlos does the opposite; flinching back and shaking his head vehemently.

"N-n-n-no," he murmurs, his face twisting as the 'N' stuck to his tongue. "I don't w-want to…it's yours and I ca-an't…."

Doug purses his lips, his eyes flickering again before he straightens and pushes the cube a little closer.

"Let me rephrase that," he says firmly, but not unkindly. "You're really good at the puzzle and I can tell you like it too, so hang onto it and let me know if you finish it so I can give you another one."

Then he rises from his seat, gathering up his bag and swinging it over his shoulder before Carlos had a chance to protest. The other boy tries, Audrey notes with a small pang of…something. He stands with them, grabbing the cube only to hand it back out to Doug, who shakes his head with an enigmatic smile.

"Finish it first," he says. "Then you give it back."

"I'll see you guys later then," Lonnie says, grinning briefly at the stunned Carlos before hurrying off to class.

"Bye Carlos," Jane offers hastily, squeezing his hand with a quick smile before following after the other girl.

"But," Carlos whispers, still looking to Doug for confirmation.

Doug shakes his head with a soft sigh, but he still smiles in farewell before leaving. Audrey loops her arm through Ben's, if only for some reassurance of her own as Carlos stares down at the puzzle in something close to wonder.

"It was nice to actually meet you Carlos," she says softly. "You should definitely join us again."

She elbows Ben when it takes him a moment, and he quickly sputters out a reply of his own.

"Yeah," the other boy blurts with a short, nervous laugh. "And maybe bring Mal and Evie with you next time? And Jay, of course, once he's out of the infirmary."

"Ssure," Carlos murmurs in assent, and he finally manages to bring his head up, an actual smile playing at his lips as his eyes light. "Yeah."

"Alright," Ben says, with a much more natural laugh, and as the second bell rings and they part ways, Audrey makes note of the way Carlos' eyes follow them; sort of longing there, and she vows to find out as much as she could about the Isle. The VKs should have been brought to Auradon ages ago. There was no way to reverse the past, or erase the damage done, but she'd be darned if she didn't at least try. Her grandmother had taught her that much, at least.

* * *

Mal

Mal didn't know which was worse: seeing Carlos walk willingly off into unfamiliar company- _that wasn't their group_ \- or the nagging realization that they weren't kids anymore (but honestly, had they ever been?) and that she was going to have to let him…go.

The space between them was more than just a length of tables, and Mal was still feeling that yawning ache even when the bell finally rang. She had jumped up from her seat so fast she'd actually moved the table back an inch, the legs of the circular table skidding in a jarring squeal across the floor.

"Mal," Evie had muttered disapprovingly, but Mal didn't give a fuck about being polite.

All that mattered was that everyone was together again, and even though Jay was still painfully absent, she wasn't about to let Carlos slip through her fingers. Not if she could help it- and she could.

And so it's even more jarring (so much more jarring than the table) when she rushes over to retrieve him -save him- from the Auradonian group, and sees the dwarf kid give Carlos some kind of colored cube. She tenses, thinking it must be some kind of trap, or weapon or poisonous _something_ \- never mind the fact that if the Auradonians had taken away _their_ weapons, why would they have such things of their own. But it's not fear or panic or anything like that on Carlos' face: it's wonder, and joy, and something so painfully open and…innocent. It makes Mal's stomach churn, in more ways than one.

She's biting back the bile that rises in her throat at the next moment; the one where everyone is smiling at Carlos, and he's smiling back, and there's an invitation being extended but she doesn't fucking care because he can't leave them; they can't take him from her!

"M?"

Evie's voice brings her back to reality and she swallows hard, setting her face and hardening the ball of emotions inside until she's steel and cold once more.

"They're not allowed to have him," she growls under her breath, glaring at the sweet smiles on Ben and whatever-her-name-was…Andrea or something…'s faces. "I won't let them take Carlos too."

"Take him?" Evie chuckles, but Mal can see the flicker in her own eyes as she glances in Carlos' direction. "Mal, this isn't the Isle, they can't…."

"They took Jay," Mal points out through gritted teeth. "And just because this isn't the Isle doesn't mean they can't…."

"Mal," Evie cuts in firmly. "Breathe."

She does, but it's only to growl out curses as Carlos slowly begins shuffling towards them.

"What happened to wanting good things from this place?" Evie says. "I thought you wanted this…for us to be…happy?"

The words don't come out right, but that's because the translation from the instinctive evil to this goodness isn't so direct. But Mal lets it pass, if only because Carlos is almost to them now and she doesn't want any denials she made to be heard.

"I do want it," Mal obliges lowly. "But for _us_ …not them. Not _with_ them."

And then Carlos is there, and anything Evie has to say is lost beneath Mal's greeting.

"I see you've finally made your way back," she mutters, her eyes narrowing at the cube in his hands. "Did you have fun with your new friends?"

She spits the word like it's poison, and Evie hisses her name again in disapproval. But Carlos doesn't even flinch, although his fingers do grip the cube a little tighter. Instead he straightens, and actually meets her eyes, his own eyes dark and determined as he answers.

"Yeah, ac-ac-actually," he says lowly, firmly. "I did. They're pppretty cool."

"Are they now?" Mal growls, her eyes narrowing despite the way her face lifts in surprise at his boldness.

"They a-re," Carlos replies evenly, and he holds out the cube for them to inspect. "Dou-dou-doug gave me this," he says, and there's something almost like pride in his voice. "It's a puzzle, and he ga-gave it with no sstrings…no c-catch."

"Really?" Evie murmurs, and there's awe and surprise in her voice as she eyes the direction the boy had gone.

"And why would he do that?" Mal snaps, still edgy and not entirely satisfied.

"Be-because he ssaw that I liked it, and he let me try it, and w-hen he ssaw that I was good at it, he let me have it," Carlos blurts fiercely, and despite the vehemence in his words Mal is definitely taken aback by the significant decrease of the trips in his voice.

She's impressed, and glad for it, but she also hates it. Because if Carlos wasn't stuttering as much it meant that he was actually truly relaxed and peaceful. And she can't have Auradon be a happy place for them, no matter what stupid sentiments she may have confessed. This place was theirs to ruin, not acclimate to! Not get caught up in and…love.

"You know he's going to want something from you," Mal grits out, turning dismissively and heading out the doors before her emotions got the better of her. "He'll take it back eventually."

She forces herself to keep going; even when Evie sucks a sharp breath behind her and Carlos calls her a 'b-b-bitch' under his breath when he thinks she's out of earshot. Let them hate her for pointing out the truth. It wouldn't matter in the end, whether they believed her or not. The wand was what they came for, and she was going to get it. No matter how much it hurt.

* * *

Jay

He was slowly going insane.

"Ok Jay, that's good," the Pink One (he hadn't bothered to remember any of their names) says, her voice sickeningly sweet and her smile even more annoying than the Fairy Godmother's. "Now can you move your arm like this for me?"

She lifts her own arm in an exaggerated stretch above her head, and Jay barely stifles his groan as he methodically repeats the gesture, though he does roll his eyes to let her know just how not appreciated this bullshit was.

"Great!" the fairy chirps, not seeming to notice his reluctance. "Now how about like this?"

"Ok," Jay huffs, sitting up as much as his ribs will allow and leveling the fairies with a look. "I'm pretty sure we all know this is bullshit and that I can move my arm just fine. I don't need to keep doing these fucking exercises!"

The Blue One splutters soundlessly before darting from the room, and Jay just sighs as the Green One gives him a reproachful look of her own.

"Now Jay," she begins sternly, and Jay flops back down onto the bed, wincing as his ribs pang at the rough movement. "I understand that you're frustrated but the exercises really will help. Not only to get your body used to the healing magic, but also to relearn your limits."

"I don't fucking need to relearn my limits," he grumbles to the ceiling. "I need to get the hell out of here."

And get back to Carlos, a part of him helpfully supplies. Even if he doesn't accept me back. Jay can't think of a time where he had ever been separated from the younger boy or the rest of the group for so long. Not just in distance. The only time he could think of was back before they'd been a group, and since then, there hadn't been a time where he wasn't with at least one of them constantly.

He'd been tuning out the fairies and their chiding and muttering, so he almost doesn't register the shift in dialogue until he hears his name.

"…a visitor, Jay," the Blue One huffs, the door still open behind her from where she'd reentered the room.

"What…?" Jay starts to ask, but his words die on his tongue. Not because he was confused about what she'd said, but that the visitor is…

"Carlos," he breathes, and the smaller boy lifts his head, a tiny flicker of something tugging at his lips before fading.

"H-hi," Carlos whispers, and Jay straightens even further on his bed.

"We'll leave you to it," the Pink One says in a conspiratorially hiss, and she shoos the other two fairies out with her, the door closing with a soft click and leaving just the two of them.

"Hey," Jay says, blinking carefully to ensure the boy was really there.

"Hey," Carlos says again, taking a step into the room, and it's then that Jay realizes he's shaking, his hands fidgeting with something small and square down by his waist, and his eyes flickering nervously over the bandages that are visibly wrapping Jay's torso through the green infirmary gown.

"What's up?" Jay hedges awkwardly, wishing he had something more to say and wanting nothing more than to fling every apology he has at the other boy.

"N-nothing much," Carlos mutters, shuffling a little closer. "Just thought I'd v-v-v-visit."

"Yeah?" Jay says, and he can't help the hopeful note that creeps into his voice at the thought. "But wait, don't you have a class?"

He frowns up at the clock, and though it takes him a second to translate the time (the dial is different) he knows that there was a morning class.

"Biology," he recalls with an anxious pang. "Kropp…."

And Carlos huffs a sound that Jay realizes only by the twitch of his lips is a laugh. "G-got kicked out," he says proudly. "Diss-ruptive in-influence."

"Way to go C," Jay cheers, smiling just a little. "Making me so proud."

"Sshut up," Carlos mumbles, but he's smiling just a little more, and he's not shaking so much. He's almost to the foot of Jay's bed, actually, and Jay wants more than anything to scoot over so Carlos actually sits; but he doesn't want to ruin the delicate balance he has.

"So what'd you do?" Jay ribs a little more. "You didn't do the potion yet?"

"N-no," Carlos confirms, shaking his head. "Evie ssays maybe by tomorrow or Fffriday."

"Sweet," Jay says. "I might actually be out of here by then."

"Rreally?" Carlos says, and there's a lift in his voice and his face that Jay doesn't dare hope to interpret.

"Yeah," Jay replies, lifting his chin smugly to hide his thoughts. "The fairies are so sick of me that they'll probably kick me out too."

But his words have the opposite effect. Carlos' brows draw down, worry reflecting in his dark eyes as his hands fidget with the square thing again.

"But I-I-I thought this was ssuposed to make you better?" he says, and Jay picks up on the anxious note in his voice and quickly realizes his mistake.

"Well yeah," he scoffs, sure to keep his tone light. "It is, and it has. I'm fine now, but the damned fairies don't seem to think so. They have me doing these stupid 'exercises,' it's insane."

Carlos nods slowly, and shuffles just a little closer. Jay holds his breath, debating a moment, and then finally decides to just say it.

"Hey, listen, Carlos…"

"I'm ssorry!" Carlos blurts out over him, and Jay blinks in surprise.

"What?" he says, and Carlos's fingers twist the square in his hands while his eyes dart everywhere but at Jay.

"I'm ssory," Carlos repeats in an undertone.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Jay retorts, incredulous. "I'm the one who…I left you, remember?"

"Yyeah," Carlos replies bitterly. "But I'm the wu-wu-one who kept you away. I didn't…I thought…I didn't…."

"I know," Jay mumbles, shifting just a little closer. "I get it."

And he did. Carlos' reaction; shoving him away, stemmed from his fear of people he cared about disappearing. Leaving him for good, like Cruella had often threatened to do and only one other person actually doing so.

"I'm ssory," Carlos says again, and Jay lets out a short, repentant chuckle.

"Yeah well, so am I. So…tell me about that square thing because it's driving me crazy that you're playing with that and not your dog tail."

Carlos' face relaxes then, his eyes clearing and the tremors easing entirely from his body as he scurries the last few feet to Jay's bed. He heaves himself up onto the edge and Jay winces dramatically, flopping over when Carlos bumps his leg.

"Ugh," he groans miserably. "Oh, broken leg, oh the pain," he wails, and Carlos snorts, shoving an elbow into his side.

"Th-there's nothing wrrong with your leg, asshole," Carlos replies.

Despite the actual pain that Carlos' elbow causes, Jay still laughs, flinging himself up and latching his arms around the other boy's neck, ignoring the yelps and protests and viciously ruffling his hair. Only when Carlos starts running out of air does Jay let go, and, satisfied that he'd learned his lesson, leans back to give Carlos space.

Carlos still slides just a little further away, but there's an ease between them now, a calm, and Jay feels something strangely light and yet heavy filling him up inside. It makes him want to…do something, but he has no way of interpreting the feeling and so, no real way to act on it. So he simply leans a little closer to Carlos, enjoying the repairing bond and eyeing the square interestedly as the boy talks.

"It's a pu-puzzle," Carlos explains happily, his fingers shifting it as he talks. "Doug gave it to mme at b-b-b-reakfast today."

"Doug?" Jay repeats slowly. "The dwarf kid?"

"Yyeah," Carlos says carefully. "I sat with Ben an-an-and some of the oth-ers today."

"Oh," Jay says, surprised, and not entirely sure how he feels about Carlos joining other groups. "That's cool, I guess. So what, he just randomly gave you the thing? Or did you nick it?"

"He w-was playing with it," Carlos says, not seeming to notice Jay's reluctance. "And he showed me ho-how to do it and then ssaid I could keep it and give it ba-back when I finished."

"That is…actually pretty cool of him," Jay concedes, and he thinks that maybe these Auradon kids weren't all so bad.

And that maybe he'd actually give Doug his book back. The boy deserved it; after all. If not for him and his puzzle, he wouldn't have gotten Carlos back. And Jay always paid his debts. Still, it didn't meant he couldn't hang onto the book a little bit longer.

* * *

Ben

"Hey Ben, Audrey, wait up!"

Ben turns with no small amount of anticipation and dread, watching as Doug huffs his way up to them. Audrey seems to sense his worry, because she slides a little closer and slips her arm through his, squeezing lightly as though to reassure him of her presence. It does help, and he manages a tight smile at Doug as the boy finally comes to a stop in front of them.

"What's up Doug?" Ben says, trying for casualty and failing as his anxieties about their breakfast with Carlos swirl through his head.

"Can we…talk?" Doug asks, and Ben can hear the hesitation in his own voice, his eyes wary and nervous as they glance around the emptying hallway.

"I'll let you get to it then," Audrey says slowly, but with good humor, though Doug shakes his head quickly.

"No I kind of meant, both of you. All of us, really, but for now…um…" He trails off with a nervous adjustment of his glasses, and Ben purses his lips in concern.

"Ok, well shoot, I guess," he says, and Doug nods his head, adjusting his glasses again before speaking.

"It's about the VKs," he begins, and Ben instantly tenses, all set to start defending his decree again when Doug continues and he deflates. "Have either of you guys noticed anything...off…about them?"

"Yes," Audrey says instantly, leaning a little closer to Doug. "Why, what have you noticed?"

"You mean aside from the obvious indicators of child abuse?" Doug replies tersely, and Ben flinches, his eyes widening in shock.

"What?" he whispers, and Doug fixes him with a look, while Audrey goes silent, a reflective look on her face.

"Don't tell me you didn't see it?" Doug says, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I mean, I might not have been the most enthusiastic about this whole thing, but…still…it's clear."

"What is clear, exactly?" Ben presses, not wanting to even think about such ideas let alone speak them like fact. Yes, ok, there was the food situation, and the Isle clearly wasn't the lap of luxury, but _that_?

"Carlos," Doug says simply, and Ben chews his lips to keep his protests of denial to himself. "When he joined the table, he didn't introduce himself, Aziz did. He didn't look any of us in the eyes, and Lonnie had to actually tell him to sit down before he did."

"Well that could have just been meeting new people," Ben tries, but even he know it's a small excuse considering just what they were debating here.

"It could have," Doug concedes regardless, though his eyes are still sharp. "But then there's the fact that he only really seemed to interact with Jane, and the way he kept watching us when we talked; like he was making sure none of us were going to jump on him or something."

"I did notice that," Audrey puts in quietly from his side. "I just thought he was nervous about being surrounded by strangers. But…I noticed."

"And when I handed him the puzzle," Doug says, nodding at Audrey's input. "He was watching my hands…and the way he kept apologizing when he was giving it back."

"I could see it in his face," Audrey continues slowly. "It wasn't the bell that scared him; he was afraid because he'd been playing with the puzzle the whole time. Like he thought you would yell at him for keeping it."

"Exactly," Doug confirms, and Ben shakes his head hard.

"Ok, so maybe there was that," he says. "I mean, I saw it too, a little. But that doesn't mean…that doesn't mean…abuse." He whispers the word, practically choking on it, and Doug gives him a sympathetic look.

"No, it doesn't," he says. "But I think we need to keep an eye on them just in case. See how they react to different things, make note of other signs; weird things they say about life at home; stuff like that."

"Ok," Audrey says, though it's more of a determined, grieved sort of sigh, and Ben blinks, glancing back and forth between the two.

"Wait, but…if we do notice something," he says anxiously. "What are we supposed to do? I mean, we can't exactly confront them about it, can we?"

"No," Doug says. "We're not trying to be confronting. We're following your decree after all, Ben. Giving them a chance at a better life."

"And if it comes down to it, we talk to Fairy Godmother," Audrey decides, and Ben sighs as he realizes he's just as outnumbered and in over his head as his parents had feared.

But this _was_ his decree, and what kind of example would he be if he backed out just because things weren't going as planned? What kind of King would he be?

"Ok," he says grimly, nodding his head.

"Then we're agreed," Doug says. "I'll let the others know…discreetly, of course. And we'll see how it goes from there."

Yeah, Ben things glumly. I guess we will.


	17. It looks like I'm laughing

**Hey guys! Back again with another update for you. Hopefully you haven't had to wait too long. Let's get started with the reviews!**

* * *

 **Hershey201214: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! We get to see the Auradon gang in action in this chapter, implementing their secret plan. ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.**

 **Carmine DeVil: Yes, they are on their way to friends again. Carlos may have forgiven Jay, but it's not something he'll be able to forget as easily. But for the time being, everyone is happy, lol. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Gracfully: Thank you for the review! You'll find out soon enough, haha. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

 **theNiceDevil: Yep, the AKs are finally starting to get their act together, though they have a lot to learn. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **starflight34: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I hope you'll like this one just as much!**

 **bookgirl111: Haha, well I'm glad you like Aziz at least. I briefly introduced Nikki earlier in the story, but I'll give you a proper introduction soon, I promise. And you're like the fifth person to mention my Once Upon a Time crossover, lol. When I finish with this, I'll probably convert one of the one shots into a full story. I'll put a poll up and let you guys decide. ;)**

 **Krestal: Well, Jay does know that Carlos joined the Auradon kids, but a more in depth discussion will definitely be coming soon.**

 **GenderqueerWriter: Haha, yep, the AKs are finding out, and we get a fun little intervention scene here too. I hope you'll enjoy where I go with this, though, lol. We'll see. ;) And by all means, go right ahead! I'm flattered that you're enjoying it that much. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I took on this story, but I'd be honored if you did a little spin off of your own based on this. And I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Infinity galaxies infinity star: Well there might not be any infirmary meetings, but there will definitely be some paranoia sinking in. I definitely think Mal especially out of the four has attachment issues, and I'll be playing with those ideas more in future chapters, so don't you worry. :) I hope you'll continue to read along and enjoy!**

 **Tiredandlazy: Well I'm glad my story was able to cheer you up in however small away. You're definitely one of the best reviewers I've ever had on a story, too, if that's any added consolation, lol.**

 **Yes, the AKs are finally getting their act together, and we get a little more from them here, as well as some more Aziz 'bonding' with the rest of the group. ;)**

 **Don't worry, this fic is still going strong, I've got a lot planned! And I'm glad you approve of my OC and the ship, lol. Nikki makes a proper appearance later on, too, so hopefully that'll satisfy.**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy, and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far. And don't worry, there will definitely be some friendships for Mal. She just has to work on being more 'friendly' with people, lol. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **HeirOftheHowlingWolves: Welcome to the story, thanks for leaving a review! I appreciate all of your ramblings, so no worries, haha! ;) I'm glad you're liking everything I'm doing, and yes, I agree, Audrey was just too stereotypical High School b*tch for me, too, so I'm glad you liked those changes. And Chad is still a jerk, but I've got plans for him too, don't you worry.**

 **In terms or romances/pairings, I'm sticking with the canon pairings regarding the girls, but putting my own little spin on things. If I ever did a sequel, then I might flesh out more romantic pairings, but for right now, I'm just letting the characters control the story at their own pace, and if they want a romance, then they'll get it, lol.**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **sleepysadkid: Thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story. You know, I never watched Code Black but now I think I'm going to have to if only for that one Cameron Boyce cameo, lol. I hope you'll continue to enjoy what I come up with.**

 **Kris68: Hey, it's great to hear from you again! Glad to see you're still following along! I'm sorry things haven't been so good for you, but hopefully this update can help cheer you up. :)**

 **Thank you for your kind words as well, I'm glad you're enjoying my portrayal of the characters and yes, Carlos making friends is adorable. Mal will definitely continue being overprotective for a while, but don't worry, we'll get more of Mal and Evie. I realized too that I was neglecting their POVs…one of those 'author works out own issues through writing' things, haha. But regardless, I hope you'll continue to read along and enjoy!**

 **ScarletAvengerLauren: Welcome to the story, thanks for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much, and don't worry, we do get some more of Mal and Evie here, too. Yes, the AKs did take a while, and I'm chalking it up to the fact that such a thing would be so foreign to them that they wouldn't even understand what they were seeing until too late. But, it's not all angst, and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy. :)**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Hey, thanks for catching that, I'll make sure to go back and fix it. :)**

 **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm excited that you're excited, lol. We'll find out in bits and pieces just how bad things were for our VKs. I've been hinting in flashback form, but when things do finally come out, well…we'll see. And I have seen the newest trailers of course! I've been obsessively following every bit of info I can get, lol. And yes, I've seen the arm wrestling match, that was fun! And Mal's HAIR!**

 **Haha, but I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **tigerladygamer: *retrieves defibrillator and restarts heart* Clear! You can't die on me, I have given you the gift of a new chapter!**

 **Winter Fury: Welcome to the story and thanks for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! And I have thought about making the POV changes bold, but I can't stand the sight of it, how it breaks up the smoothness of the page, lol. It's a stupid little quirk of mine, but I'm sure I can push past it if you think it would be easier to read and follow the transitions. I appreciate your suggestion and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Ok guys, buckle up, because I've got a nice long chapter for you! The standard warnings apply, Language, and references of child abuse.**

 *****Slight trigger warning! (Maybe? You decide) But warning nonetheless for some more in depth referencing of psychological abuse and anxiety/panic attacks.*****

 **Also angst. Angst and feels like crap.**

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoy and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 _Mal_

"Alright Mal," her mother said lowly, a wicked smile playing at her lips. "Today is a very special day, do you know why?"

Mal frowned, chewing her lip in concentration. It wasn't Mother's Day, she knew that much. Her mother made sure she remembered _that_ particular occasion. And it wasn't her birthday, or Mal's birthday…not that the girl even knew when that was…. But if it was none of those days then…

Mal sank, bracing herself for her mother's disappointment as she shook her head, her blond hair falling into her face at her movement. Maleficent sighed, and the disappointment was so strong Mal could practically feel it, and she shivered in spite of herself as her mother stalked closer.

"It's a special day," Maleficent growled. "Because today I am going to start teaching you how to be evil."

"Like you?" Mal cried, straightening in excitement, a small smile making its way across her face.

"That's right, my little dragon," her mother said, her own smile growing. "Just like me."

"Yes!" Mal cheered, and she couldn't help but bounce slightly on her toes.

She was finally going to learn how to be evil! After so long of being told she wasn't old enough, or wasn't ready to harness all the powers of Hell itself or something like that…after all her time practicing terrorizing the Villagers; her mother was finally going to teach her. And she was going to grow up and be big and super scary and evil just like her mother, and never have to worry about the other bad people on the Isle ever again. Cuz she'd be the fiercest dragon of them all and they'd all be scared of her.

"Now then, four is rather young for such a big step as this," her mother hummed thoughtfully. "But I think you can manage it, right Mal?"

Her mother's eyes narrowed, glowing a dark green, and Mal nodded quickly, understanding instantly.

"Right," she agreed, just a little more cautious and less excited than before.

"Good," Maleficent crooned, and the smile on her face was much more relaxed, and Mal smiled back, tugging at the overly large blue shirt that hung almost like a dress on her small frame.

Her mother gestured her over to the one small table in the center of the 'kitchen,' and Mal bounced her way across the room, not noticing the way her mother scowled at her enthusiasm and cheer. Mal saw that there were two big books on the table, and a tiny round machine of some kind. One of the books was a dark purple color just like her mother's horns, and Mal felt a heavy tug of curiosity grip her as she stared at it. She glanced over her shoulder to see her mother was looking through one of the cabinets and muttering to herself, and so Mal leaned over and stretched as far as she could for the book.

"Don't you dare touch that!" Maleficent shrieked, and Mal was flung back into her chair by a rough _push_ , her mother's hand connecting with her face a moment after.

Mal whimpered, and her mother snarled, another blow catching her across the cheek.

"Enough of that," her mother growled. "Dragons do not cry, Mal. Stop being such an embarrassment."

Mal nodded, gulping down her sobs and tugging the edge of her shirt up to wipe her face roughly. She could still hear her mother's disgusted sigh though, and Mal bit her lip, trying to control herself as she stared up at her mother's towering form.

"Now then," Maleficent snapped sharply. "If you're done being weak..." her lip curled, and Mal ducked her head, guilt churning inside at the thought of making her mother angry with her.

"I'm sorry, mama," she whispered, glancing up to see her mother's lip curl further, her eyes hard.

"It's alright," her mother said coldly, her fingers stiff as she patted Mal's head. "You'll make it up to me."

Mal nodded again, and her mother's fingers lifted from her hair to drift over the purple book.

"This is my spell book," she said slowly, her voice still hard and serious. "It contains all of the spells that I have learned and mastered over the years; spells that I have created and spells that have been passed down throughout my family. The blood of dragons runs through this book, Mal; _magic._ "

Mal gasped softly, her earlier pain forgotten in the face of this exciting and new (and dangerous) book. And besides, a part of her reasoned maturely. She'd deserved it for making her mother upset. For being so weak.

"I have magic too?" the girl asked in awe, eyes wide as she stared at the spell book.

"You do," her mother said slowly. "Though time will tell just how much those royal _bastards_ have ruined my chance for a true legacy."

"What do you…?"

"It's not for you to worry about," Maleficent said quickly with a sharp shake of her head. "What you need to worry about are these."

She motions to the other book, and the tiny round machine.

"What is it?" Mal asked, leaning over and frowning at the items.

"This, Mal, is called a clock," her mother explained. "It's how we tell what time it is. And this is just a simple rhyme book, but I've modified the rhymes over time to become minor spells."

"My own spell book!" Mal cried gleefully, grabbing for the book even more enthusiastically than before.

"No, Mal, it's not a true spell book," Maleficent rumbled with a shake of her head and a smile that Mal knew even at four meant 'not-a-real-smile.' "True spell books are _earned_ , they are not just _given_."

"Oh," Mal said, slumping back down into her chair. "Like my name."

"Yes, exactly like your name," her mother agreed. "You will earn it in time, but you have to prove to me that you are worthy."

"I will," Mal promised, her eyes widening as she looked up at her mother- her idol. "I'll be just as evil as you!"

"We shall see," her mother said simply, before teaching Mal the basics of spell casting and time telling.

Though it would be a very long time indeed before Mal realized that she would never earn anything but her mother's disappointment.

* * *

Evie

It had only been a day since 'the Incident,' as Mal had been referring to it; that morning when Carlos had 'chosen Auradon over them.' But even with that length of time between them, there was still a tenseness to the way Mal and Carlos interacted with each other, a sort of fragile circling that the tiniest change could cause an explosion.

Said explosion came in the form of Jay, which Evie didn't actually didn't find all that surprising.

It was Friday, and with no early classes or evil teachers to worry about, Evie could finally stop and take stock of the fact that they had somehow survived their first week in Auradon. Well, granted, it wouldn't officially have been a full week till the end of the day, but still…it was huge.

Which is why that particular morning found Evie sitting cross legged on her bed with her small collection of fabrics to be assembled into outfits of some kind, with Mal once more hanging over her own bed with her spell book, muttering the various curses under her breath. Carlos lay on his back at the foot of Evie's bed, Doug's puzzle cube twisting this way and that in his hands.

It would have been a peaceful and even amusing thing to see, but Evie could feel the tension even now, and it didn't help that Mal's muttered curses occasionally came with a flash of sparks.

"…open without a crash," Mal whispers lowly, and her eyes glowed a faint green, and the bedroom door creaked faintly, before slamming shut with a loud bang.

Carlos yelps, rolling off the side of the bed with a thud, and Evie leaned over when he didn't immediately resurface.

"Carlos?" She calls carefully, and a small whimper is all she hears, along with a slight shuffle of movement which tells her that he'd retreated under the bed.

"Way to go Mal," Evie chides, shooting the other girl a look.

"Not my fault he freaked," Mal mutters, but Evie can still see the slightly guilty look in her eyes.

"Carlos, it was just the door, you can come out," Evie says, bending down and picking up the puzzle from where it had fallen. "Besides your game is up here, anyway."

Carlos is silent a moment, before her bed creaks and the top of his white head is visible, his eyes narrow and cautious as he peers over the edge. Mal snorts from the other bed, and Carlos growls quietly, but scrambles the rest of the way up, snatching the cube from Evie's hand and darting back down to the floor.

Evie sighs, shaking her head as she returns to her sewing, pinning together a few pieces into an outline of a shirt. She didn't have much in the way of fabric; even with her status on the Isle as the Evil Queen's daughter, it hadn't earned her many favors and charm could only go so far. But what she did have she cherished, and made more than good use of. If her design held, the metallic looking thing in front of her would become a shirt for Carlos.

A knock on the door startles her out of her musings, and Mal's book shuts with a sharp snap as she straightens and rises to her feet. Carlos tenses, and scoots backwards to hide back under the bed, while Evie carefully pulls her sewing scissors from her bag.

"Who is it?" Mal demands, eyeing the room in a quick sweep and closing in on the open window. Evie doubted it would come to that, but just in case, she nudges Carlos gently with her foot; tapping his back twice before pausing and tapping again- their signal for 'alert and ready to run.'

"It's Ben," comes the voice from the other side of the door, and Evie relaxes, while Mal just stiffens further.

"What do you want?" Mal hisses, and Evie clicks her tongue in disapproval.

"You can come in Ben," she calls, and Carlos shuffles out from under the bed as the door opens and Ben steps in.

"Hey guys," he greets, smiling at her and Carlos before offering Mal a tentative wave.

"Hi," Mal says stiffly, before turning her back and picking up her book again, careful to keep the cover hidden as she resumes where she'd left off.

Ben, for his part, only looks mildly amused by Mal's dismissal of him, and manages to keep smiling as he talks. "I just wanted stop by and see how you were all doing, and you know…say congratulations."

"For w-w-hat?" Carlos drawls carefully, and Ben offers him another brief smile.

"For completing a full week here in Auradon of course," he says brightly, and Evie chuckles softly at his enthusiasm.

"Of course," Mal repeats in a deadpan. "Congrats for making it this long, you mean."

"Well, yes," Ben says, not seeming to notice the heavy sarcasm in Mal's voice. "It's kind of a big deal, and the rest of us…uh, me and some of the others…have a little something planned for you. To celebrate."

Evie can't help the butterflies that drift through her stomach when Ben smiles at her again. He's so sweet and soft and boyishly handsome; not to mention his royal status. And yet he's also entirely taken, and while Evie may have been desperate for a Prince, she wasn't quite at the 'man-stealing' level yet.

"We don't do 'celebrating,'" Mal says abruptly, her eyes hard and cautious as she glares at Ben. "But thanks anyway."

"Aw come on M-ma-mal!" Carlos is the one who protests, rising to his feet so he was level with her. "It could be…."

"Fun?" she finishes challengingly, and Carlos winces at her tone, but manages to hold her gaze.

"It could be," he replies, and Evie bites her lip anxiously as she glances between the two.

"I get that everything is still so new," Ben cuts in slowly. "And you don't have to agree to anything right away. I figured you would like to know ahead of time so it wasn't too big of a surprise…it'll be later today around lunch time, in the gardens."

"That's very…nice…of you," Mal says carefully, the foreign word twisting awkwardly around her tongue.

"W-we'll think about it," Carlos promises, and there's a hopeful, eager look on his face as he turns to Evie.

"No promises," Mal snaps, but Evie finds herself nodding anyway.

"No, but we'll think about it," she says, and Ben brightens again.

"Great," he says. "You're free to do what you want with the day; explore the grounds, maybe check out some of the extracurriculars we have. Doug is in on it so if you decide you want to come, just let him know and he'll show you the way."

"Great," Mal mutters unenthusiastically. "We'll totally do that."

Ben grins again and clasps his hands together enthusiastically. "Well I'll let you guys go, but like I said before, if you need anything…I'm here."

"Noted," Mal murmurs, and Ben nods in farewell before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Well that was…."

"Mal puh-puh-please can we go?" Carlos bursts out, cutting across Evie in his excitement.

"Why do _you_ even want to go?" Mal retorts incredulously, and even Evie is surprised at just how animated the younger boy was. "Socializing isn't usually your thing."

"But it's fffor us!" Carlos cries, his fingers fidgeting with his dog tail. "I-i-it'd be cool."

"Yeah, until it turns out to be a set up," Mal counters sharply. "Some prank or twisted joke."

"But this is Auradon," Evie broaches carefully. "Who knows, it could be…."

"Ssee?" Carlos says, lifting his brows at Mal. "Wwe can go!"

"Without Jay?" Mal counters, lifting a brow. "You'd actually do that?"

"Mal don't be mean," Evie scolds, before realizing what she'd said and falling silent.

"We're _not_ going," Mal says, ignoring Carlos' strangled cry of protest. "We have other things to focus on, remember?"

"But-"

A knock on the door interrupts Carlos' continued whimpering, and Mal growls sharply in frustration.

"I swear, it's like we're some kind of attraction," she mutters darkly, stalking over to the door and yanking it open.

"What?" she hisses, and Evie looks over at a familiar laugh.

"Is that any way to treat someone who's bringing you presents?"

"Az-ziz," Carlos manages jerkily, though no less happily, offering the older boy a shy smile as she strolls past Mal into the room.

"Hey there Freckles," Aziz greets Carlos, grinning back broadly before turning and offering Evie a wink.

"M'lady," he drawls, and Evie ducks her head back to her sewing to hide her slight blush.

"What does everybody have against us?" Mal grumbles, crossing her arms and glaring at Aziz's back.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Aziz replies, shaking his head. "But I do know that there's this wicked party we're throwing for you and…."

"Yeah, we know," Mal replies shortly.

"Oh, cool," Aziz says, unaffected by her attitude. "Ooh, but I do seriously have surprises for you."

He turns and darts back to the door, swinging his body through it as he opens it and calling out into the hallway.

"You coming or what?"

There's a muffled answer of some kind, and Aziz swings back through the doorway with a flourish of his hands as a figure shuffles into the room, the door creaking closed behind it. Evie straightens as the familiar figure stops just in the doorway, and Mal curses softly while Carlos leaps to his feet.

"Jay!" the smaller boy cries, and though there's obvious delight in his eyes, he just stops himself from rushing forward.

"Dude I saw you, like, yesterday," Jay snorts, shifting his weight on the crutch under his arm. "Chill."

"Well fuck me," Mal mutters, but Evie can hear the relief in her voice. "If it isn't the bane of my existence."

"I couldn't just leave you all to wander around unsupervised and unprotected," Jay scoffs, his eyes twinkling as his lips curl into that familiar grin. "What kind of person would I be if I did that?"

"Like pretty much everyone back home?" Mal offers with a shrug, but she's definitely smiling now, and Evie has almost forgotten Aziz was still there until he cleared his throat.

"I guess things got pretty crazy then, huh?" the other boy says with a strange look on his face. "Not that I'm not a sucker for emotional reunions," he says quickly. "But that just sounds…unsafe."

"Right I forgot," Jay grumbles, shoving Aziz away with the edge of his crutch. "You might be cool, but you're still Auradon."

"Agrabah, originally," Aziz corrects with faux haughtiness, straightening his blazer. "And I'll thank you not to insult either of my countries."

Jay rolls his eyes, and even Mal scoffs, though she's focused back on her spell book.

"Anyway," Jay continues. "Define safe, and maybe I can help put your innocent mind to rest. Or scar you for life."

"Jay," Evie scolds, though she feels an anxious thrill go through her at his words. Mal says nothing, but she's pursed her lips tightly and Evie can tell she's just as displeased as she is.

"Well really just everything you just said, but the opposite," Aziz says with a short laugh that sounds anything but amused.

"What, constant supervision and hovering?" Jay retorts, rolling his eyes while his free hand slowly works its way around Carlos' shoulder. "Sounds like Fairy Godmother's classes."

"You mean caring?" Aziz replies, his eyes intent as he focuses on Jay, though his mouth curls somewhat at the mention of Fairy Godmother.

"Oh, you're doing _that_ again," Jay sighs, shaking his head as his hand inches a little further, stealthily plucking the puzzle cube from Carlos' hands.

Evie shakes her own head, but she can't help but laugh as Carlos blinks, glancing down at his hands in stunned confusion. She watches as the smaller boy's head comes up, and the glare he gives Jay when he sees the cube balanced on Jay's fingers is priceless. Jay laughs with glee, lifting his arm and silently taunting Carlos.

"Um, what thing?" Aziz asks, feigning offense. "If you mean my concern about your wellbeing then shoot me."

"Huh?" Mal frowns, and Evie narrows her eyes at the other boy. Even Carlos forgets about his puzzle for a moment and stops, nervous and uncertain.

"What?" Aziz replies, his own face furrowing in confusion. "What'd I say?"

"Shoot you?" Jay says, his head cocked slightly to the left. "Why would…."

And then Aziz laughs, a short, quick snort of amusement that does nothing to put Evie at ease.

"Oh wow, you guys really are out of touch," he chuckles. "It's a saying, an expression you know? Like, when you use a saying to…say something...without really saying…."

He trails off hopelessly, and Evie narrows her eyes at him, frowning despite the pang of anxiety it gives her about wrinkles.

"If you want to say something then why don't you just say it?" she accuses, and Aziz tries for a laugh but it falters somewhat in the face of her glare.

"You got me there," he murmurs with a slight shrug. "How about we just label it as a weird thing we do in Auradon and call it a day?"

"It's not even noon," Mal snaps, and Evie silently thanks her mother's lessons on facial expressions, as she's able to expertly school her face to hide her cruel amusement.

Mal makes no such effort, her lips twisting into a triumphant leer, her eyes flashing brightly with laughter as Aziz splutters and attempts to defend himself.

"Ok, but in all seriousness," Aziz finally says, and Evie finds herself straightening at his serious tone. "The whole lack of supervision thing…that was really a norm for you guys? I mean, you really didn't have anyone looking out for you?"

"It's a trap," Jay hisses with a scoff, and though Mal rolls her eyes, Evie can tell by the slight stiffening of her shoulders that the other girl is very much wary and alert.

"The only people looking out for you on the Isle is yourself," Mal says coldly, her eyes dark with danger. "No one is going to come to save you so you have to be the one to save yourself."

Something falters across Aziz's expression at that, and Evie finds herself holding her breath, waiting for it to turn into anger or something equally dangerous. But the other boy doesn't even raise his voice, seeming almost unsure as he glances carefully around the room at them.

"But…what about you guys?" he asks, his voice reflecting the uncertainty in his eyes. "You're all really close…you look out for each other."

"We're like, the rare exception," Jay mutters, rubbing at his jaw self-consciously. "We came together because we had to…to survive."

"And anyway," Mal continues. "We only all came together like we are now a few months ago. Before that, we were just allies."

"Allies?"

"There are no relationships on the Isle," Evie finds herself putting in, though she keeps her eyes on her needles as she idly pokes at the fabric. "Just those you use to get what you want, and allies to help you get it."

"Oh," Aziz says, and Mal snorts derisively.

"That it, Agrabah?" she snaps challengingly. "Or do you want to ask even more probing questions?"

"Well," Aziz says slowly, his eyes on the floor as he shuffles his weight. "I do have one more…."

"Here it comes," Jay grumbles, eyes narrowing at the other boy.

Aziz makes a face at Jay, who flips him off in response, but neither Mal or Evie if fully relaxed. Tense and suspicious, Evie purses her lips as she waits for the other boy to speak. After a brief stare down between he and Jay, Aziz finally speaks, turning back to them with a glint in his eyes that is all too reminiscent of trouble.

"So like, who did your hair? Because I'm _obsessed_ with those colors, seriously."

Evie blinks, and Mal is so caught off guard she lets out an undignified snort.

"Wait, what?" she says with a laugh, tugging at a purple lock, while Evie combs her fingers self-consciously through her own blue-stained curls.

It occurs to her that she hadn't actually combed or styled her hair at all that week, and the thought sends a sharp twist through her stomach. She can practically hear her mother's voice, chiding her for her lack of hygiene; the threats and promises that 'how could any boy want you when you look like you just crawled out of the gutter?'

The thought of it is enough to make her sick, her breath catching tightly in her throat and she almost doesn't register the voices in the background until she hears her name.

"…don't know about Carlos," Mal is saying, the other girl's voice still wary and incredulous. "But Evie and I got our colors from some of the dyes that Uma made on the Isle. Well, that and uh…magic, a bit."

"Magic?" Aziz repeats, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. "And who's Uma? Someone I should know?"

"Not particularly," Mal growls, and Evie exchanges a nervous look with Jay and Carlos. They knew all too well the animosity the two girls had for each other.

"She's Ursula's daughter," Evie cuts in quickly, deciding after a moment of Mal's ensuing curses that it would be better if she provided the information. "She mostly stayed by the docks, but every now and then she would make her way into town and sell the dyes she made."

"And start another turf war," Mal snarls, so viciously that Aziz starts, blinking in shock.

"War?" he questions meekly, and Evie straightens, while Jay and Carlos shake their head rapidly, eyes wide.

"N-n-n-no," Carlos murmurs. "Don't get her sstarted."

Aziz takes a look at Mal's seething face and, wisely, in Evie's opinion- doesn't press. Instead, he shifts his attention back to Evie, though he glances warily out of the corner of his eye to Mal.

"So uh, you said…magic?"

"Yeah," Mal answers, and Evie deflates slightly as his attention turns back to the other girl. "I used to be blonde when I was a kid, and then it got darker as I got older. The dye helped, but really, it was um…"

"The colors are really a manifestation of our magic," Evie finishes for her, when Mal hesitates too much for her liking.

"The hell, E?" Mal snaps, clearly reading Evie's intentions. Evie shrugs, her lips twitching in amusement.

"You weren't finishing the sentence anytime soon," she replies smugly. "Poor guy was going grey waiting."

"Al-already grey," Carlos mumbles cheekily, his eyes flickering shyly over to Aziz, who makes a show of combing his scalp for hair while Jay rolls his eyes.

"Fine, so on the Isle, all magic is useless and nonexistent, right?" Evie says briskly, and Aziz nods, easily returning to seriousness. "Well despite not being able to use it, the magic is still in our blood, but with no way to harness or release it, the magic sort of did its own thing."

"Cool," Aziz says, nodding his head slightly. "So Jay, you just decided you'd rebel and be cool without the color?"

"You shitting me?" Jay scoffs. "I wouldn't be caught dead with that gunk in my hair."

"Yeah, but, if it's magic then wouldn't you…?"

Evie couldn't stifle her own snort fast enough, but it was mercifully covered by the rest of her group's laughter, Carlos dropping his puzzle he was laughing so hard.

"Jay? W-w-with magic?"

"I wish," Jay agrees ruefully. "Nah, the magic gene seems to have skipped this generation."

"But wasn't Jafar a genie?" Aziz questions, lifting a brow. "You'd think at least something would've come from that."

"Yeah," Jay mutters, though his voice had pitched lower, his eyes dark and clouded. "You'd think. It was one of his favorite things to…complain about."

Evie doesn't miss the inflection in his words, or the slight stiffening of his shoulders. She sees the flicker in his face and remembers all those times she'd found him in the alley behind his father's house; or the few moments he'd ended up at her window; or that one time in particular….

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Aziz chuckles, but even he seems to have noticed the shift in Jay's voice, and Evie silently thanks the other boy when he turns to Carlos with an easy smile.

"So Freckles," he says, and Carlos bites his lip, something lighting in his eyes that Evie can't quite interpret. "You got some secret magic you've been hiding?"

"A-as if," Carlos laughs, shaking his head. "It gro-ows that way."

"What? Nu-uh," Aziz says, his eyes crinkling with laughter in the corners. "So like, what…just like your mom's? Her hair really _is_ half black and white?"

Carlos flinches at the mention of Cruella, and Evie bites her lip anxiously, while Mal bristles and Jay grimaces. But Carlos doesn't retreat, or even lash out like Evie expects him to. Instead he simply makes a face, a sort of twisted half-smile, and even manages a short laugh, though Evie can tell right away that it's fake.

"Y-yeah," he mutters lowly. "It's a pppain to brush every morning, but…you kn-know." He shrugs lightly, and Aziz chuckles a bit, the tension fading with the sound.

"Yeah, well, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I've got a class, and preparations for your lunch. Though I could always just skip class…."

"Now you sound like one of us," Jay scoffs, shoving Aziz with a shoulder. "And you're not cool enough to hang like one of us just yet."

"Pfft," Aziz snorts, but he's smiling again, not the least bit offended by Jay's teased insults. "Whatever. I'll see you around."

"Sssee ya," Carlos offers, and Evie smiles, waving a farewell as Aziz turns to go.

"Good riddance," is all Mal tosses out, but he was gone by that point, the door clicking closed behind him.

Jay snaps the lock into place a moment after, and it's only a breath of time after that that Carlos launches himself forward, pressing as close to Jay as he can get without knocking him over. Mal tosses her spell book aside, and Evie is already on her feet, her sewing forgotten as she crosses the room to stand by Jay's other side.

It's only when she's that close that she realizes Carlos is shaking, though his expression seems neutral enough. But the smaller boy was all but clinging to Jay, and the other boy grimaces as he attempts to shuffle further into the room.

"Ok, ok, I get it," he grumbles, maneuvering around Carlos' hovering form. "I was gone for like, two days, though…chill."

"Three," Carlos mumbles, his hand fidgeting anxiously at his sides, though Evie can tell by the look on his face that he'd much rather have them around Jay.

Jay seems to sense this, and adjusts his weight on the crutch before reaching out with his other hand and roughly mussing Carlos' hair. Something hits the floor with a thump, and Evie casts her eyes down to the oval shaped, black bag by Jay's foot as Carlos starts yelping protests.

"Aw, did my little puppy miss me?" Jay croons teasingly, shuffling around to continue wrestling the other boy into submission. "Was I gone for so long that my little Carlos was getting all depressed and lonely without me?"

"Jay get off!" Carlos whimpers, digging his elbows into Jay's side and wincing when it only makes Jay grab him tighter. "Mmal!"

"What's that bag?" Mal asks, completely ignoring Carlos' cries for help, and Evie huffs a sigh when Carlos yelps again.

"Your own fault for standing too close," she mutters, but she pries him loose anyway, ignoring Jay's grumbles curses.

"That bag?" Jay finally says, as Carlos scrambles for the opposite bed. "Oh, it's nothing…just my latest, and dare I say greatest, score!"

He beds down and lifts the bag easily, plopping it down onto Evie's bed with a flourish. Evie exchanges a wary look with Mal, as they both know by now not to trust anything Jay brings home. But curiosity gets the better of her, and Evie tugs the zipper open anyway, her mouth falling open in shock.

"Holy…."

"You son of a bitch," Mal cuts across her, vaulting around Carlos and grabbing the bag. "Where the hell…?"

"I just so happened to come across a map of the school grounds while I was in the infirmary," Jay brags easily, his usual swagger evident even with the crutch. "And with nothing better to do, what do I do but study my surroundings? And I just so happened to memorize where the kitchens were, so that the first thing I did when I got out was a proper raid."

"Have I told you that I love you yet?" Mal says, digging through the bag and coming up with a handful of packages food.

Carlos ducks under her reaching arms and practically buries himself in the bag, shoving a pastry into his mouth while grabbing three more packages with his other hands. He mumbles something through the food, and Evie grimaces at the lack of proper etiquette. But all things considered, she could forgive him this time.

"Yeah yeah, you can thank me later," Jay brushes her off, though he smirks proudly anyway. "We have to sort through this now, though, and I can restock when we need it."

"Ok," Evie says, happily taking charge. "We should eat any of the unwrapped stuff now. All the packaged food can stay in the bag, and if there's any fruit, we can sort it by when it should be eaten and go from there."

Carlos whimpers, but drops the packages he'd grabbed back into the bag, pastry crumbs falling down his chin. Mal tosses her own stash back as well, though Evie doesn't miss the smaller package that she slips into her pocket.

"M," Evie snaps, and Mal blinks at her. "Come on."

"Leader gets first pick," Mal replies simply, though there's a stubborn, unyielding tone to her voice that Evie knows she won't win against.

"Ugh, fine," she huffs, rolling her eyes. "It doesn't look like there's anything in here that will go bad; not that that really matters but…I think we'll be good with this for a good week or so."

"So I did good?" Jay asks, his brow furrowed in a rare gesture on uncertainty.

"Oh yeah," Evie confirms with a smile.

"At this rate, all we need now is a solid plan for the wand and we can take Auradon by storm," Mal crows, and even Carlos manages a wicked smile, his eyes sparkling mischievously as he chews the rest of his pastry.

"And I might have an idea of where to start," Jay adds slyly.

"Why do I have the feeling this won't end well?" Evie mutters, though she can't help but grin as well, the excitement of their goal contagious.

"For Auradon, maybe," Mal retorts. "They won't know what hit them."

* * *

Jane

"Ok guys, our first intervention slash rescue plan for the VKs has officially begun."

Jane picks anxiously at the bow attached to her dress, Ben's greeting doing nothing to calm her nerves. What was she doing here? What did they think they were doing?

"Rescue? Rescue from what? If anything it's _Auradon_ that needs to be protected from _them_."

"Chad, we've discussed this," Ben (rather patiently, in Jane's opinion) says. "You're more than welcome to stay and be a part of this. But if you don't have anything positive to contribute, then at least don't contribute at all."

Chad huffs darkly, but says nothing, and Jane chews her lip, eyeing the rest of the group gathered in the library. Doug sat just to Chad's right; Lonnie was beside him; Aziz sat in the lounge chair to Lonnie's right, with Nikki standing behind him, his hands resting on the back of his boyfriend's chair. Audrey sat to Jane's left, and Ben stood in the center of their little circle, shuffling slowly around as he spoke.

"I called you all together because, as I'm sure you've all noticed in some degree, there's something wrong with the VKs, and we need to find out what."

"Seriously, Ben?" Chad hisses sharply. "It took you a whole week to figure that out? I could have told you from day one when those two freaks attacked me with a knife!"

"Dagger," Lonnie cut in with equal ferocity, glaring at the blond prince. "How many times do I have to tell you guys? There's a difference!"

"Yeah, we get it, Lonnie; you're the weapons expert," Chad retorts, rolling his eyes. "Knife, dagger…it was sharp and pointy, that's all that really matters."

Lonnie grits her jaw and glares, but doesn't say anything back. Jane knows better though, than to take it as a sign of defeat. Rather, she was pretty sure her roommate was restraining herself from physically responding to Chad.

"Ok, weapon specifics aside," Ben cuts in before it could come to that. "Something _is_ wrong, and before I say what I think, I want to hear what you've all seen for yourselves. We'll start from day one and go from there, so…Chad?"

Ben winces as he says Chad's name, as though bracing himself for the outburst that is sure to come.

"Where do you want me to start, Ben? Before or after I was attacked?"

"To be fair, you did start it," Lonnie cuts in before Ben can respond, and Jane is surprised at the cold look in her eyes as she stares the blond boy down. "Honestly, I'd probably have done the same in their position."

"Not. Helping," Chad grumbles, his left hand curling protectively around his bandaged right.

"Ok guys," Ben says quickly. "That's enough. Chad, regardless of who started what…did you notice anything about Jay or Carlos that was…I don't know, concerning?"

"You mean aside from the fact Carlos had a _knife_ that he just carried around all over? I mean, seriously, how is that not concerning?"

"Ok," Ben drawls slowly, pointedly ignoring Lonnie's furious swearing. "That is one thing I worried about, too. More specifically, it was just how well Carlos handled that knife…dagger," he amends hastily, offering Lonnie a sheepish look. "Audrey, I know you had some concerns."

Jane glances over to the other girl, who nods slowly, her eyes on her hands as she spoke. "I do," she says. "From the moment they got here I noticed that none of them made any eye contact, aside from Jay, but he was glaring more than simply looking at people. Not to mention the bruises…."

She trails off, and Jane finds herself starting, surprised. She hadn't noticed any bruises on them, or at least, not on Carlos. But she hadn't really been looking at them closely at the time…too afraid to get too close. And now look how close she was.

"Jay had a black eye," Doug recalls hesitantly, and Ben nods, pressing his lips tightly together.

"I talked with Fairy Godmother and she said she'd done a brief magical examination to see how badly they were hurt and heal them. And aside from Jay's black eye, Evie had some bruised ribs. For whatever reason, Mal and Carlos were relatively ok, but she said there were a lot of broken bones on all of them; past injuries that the magic picked up on, some of which hadn't healed right."

"Probably fought a lot on the Isle, too," Chad says, but his tone is strangely subdued, and not as venomous.

"Then there's the food issues," Ben continues. "It's been drawn to my attention that the Isle really only gets our garbage, so it's no wonder they're starving."

Jane bites her lip at that. She had known, of course, that the Isle had received their cast-offs, but at the time she hadn't seen it as a problem. Just something that was done, and what did it matter what villains ate? She was embarrassed to think that way now, knowing what she did, but still.

"And Jane's been around Carlos enough to catch something," Doug adds, and Jane suddenly finds the attention of the room turned to her.

"I…uh…um…," Jane stammers wordlessly, her fingers slowly unraveling the bow attached to her dress.

"It's alright, Jane," Ben reassures. "No one's going to judge you for saying what you think."

Maybe not right now, Jane thinks warily. But there's no way it wouldn't come back and haunt her in some shape or form.

"I ran into Carlos first," she finally says. "In one of the forges, after class. I still don't know what he was doing, but he was terrified that he was in some kind of trouble. It was…weird…"

She trails off, frowning as she recalled his particular mannerisms in that moment, how every move and gesture and flicker of the eyes all seemed to convey a trapped and terrified animal.

"What was weird?" Ben asks gently.

"He was," Jane says, realizing only after how blunt and terrible that sounded. "Sorry, not like…um, it took him a while to realize I wasn't a threat to him, but he was really on edge, watching everything I did, and if it seemed like I was getting too close, he'd flinch away like he thought I was going to attack him or something."

Ben nods, but it's more to himself than anything else, as though confirming something in his head.

"But once he opened up, he was the exact opposite," Jane continues slowly. "And even later, in the infirmary, I got him to laugh and we talked for a while."

And then she remembers, and a gasp slips involuntarily past her lips.

"Jane?" Lonnie asks, concerned, but Jane shakes her head, holding up a hand.

"I'm fine," she says quickly. "It's just…I remembered something he said about his mom. About Cruella."

A shiver passes through the group, a wave of unease at the mention of the villainess. Jane pushes past it, and manages to continue.

"He mentioned that Cruella…wasn't exactly 'stable,' how she would forget things a lot, even him."

"That's terrible," Audrey gasps, and even Chad looks unsettled, though it's quickly covered up by a bored expression before Jane can comment on it.

"I was just in the girls' room," Aziz says, crossing his arms. "They were all there together. Side note; they don't like being away from each other for long."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Ben murmurs. "I don't think Mal was very happy that I took Carlos away from them for breakfast the other day."

"Yeah," Aziz drawls, shaking his head before continuing. "Anyway, I did some probing. Turns out there's not a lot of parental care or supervision in general. Everyone pretty much is left to fend for themselves, and that's how they all came together."

"Right, so, we have some information, now what are we going to do with it?"

It's Doug who redirects the conversation, and Jane blinks up at him in surprise. "If we really are looking for signs of abuse….."

Jane flinches, and Chad looks up sharply, his brow pulling down into severe frown.

"Wait, what?" he snaps, and Ben fixes him with a careful look.

"There's clearly something more going on that we're not seeing," Ben say slowly. "My decree brought the VKs here, but they could just as easily go back at the end of the school year. If it comes down to it, I want to know what I'm sending them back to."

"Yeah, ok," Chad mutters dazedly. "But…but really Ben? Abuse?"

There's something tight and pained in his voice, and Jane is suddenly reminded just how close a subject this was for Chad. His own mother had been subject to the abuses of her step-family her whole life. Even now, it was rumored she was still affected by it. Cruel, vicious rumors, to be sure; meant to find ways to discredit Cinderella's royal status. But the truth of behind the rumors remained.

Jane feels a pang of sympathy for the other boy. Despite Chad's…faults…it couldn't be easy for him. Ben seems to understand and feel the same, as he offers the other boy a tiny, sad smile.

"I know, it's kind of a big deal for your family, and I'm sorry about that. Really. But the people on the Isle of the Lost are my responsibility, too and I'm not just going to deny that for the sake of feeling comfortable."

"No, please," Chad says, shrugging slightly and gesturing with a hand. "Don't let my deep, personal experiences get in the way of your precious villains."

"Chad," Ben starts, but the other boy shakes his head, standing from his chair a little too abruptly.

"No, I get it," Chad cuts in sharply, a waver in his voice that he's not quick enough to hide. "Got to preserve Auradon's reputation and all that; show that you care."

"Chad," Jane tries, but he's already heading out the door, his hands trembling in fists at his sides.

"Leave it, Janey," Lonnie says quietly. "Just let him be bitter for a while."

"But-"

"No, Lonnie's right," Ben sighs. "He just needs some time for himself. It's only fair…half his family is on the Isle and Auradon never did do much for Cinderella except try to disinherit her."

"You'd think it would at least make him a little sympathetic," Audrey offers. "But I'll check on him later."

"Yeah, ok," Ben concedes softly. "And in the mean-time, we'll keep an eye on the four and make sure they continue settling in without any added problems."

"Careful, you'll jinx it," Aziz teases, though it's not as light given the atmosphere of Chad's exit.

Jane just hoped things would settle from here. Despite the VKs dangerous heritage and the chaos of their arrival, they'd all managed to make it a week in Auradon. They could get through one lunch party, right?

* * *

Chad

He wasn't running away. He wasn't running he wasn't _running away dammit!_

"Dammit."

The word spills from his lips in a quick, low hiss, his fists clenching in anxious need; that _need_ to react, to break, to do…something…to ease the tightness in his chest. He settles for shoving someone brutally aside, though their outraged yelp is lost as he stumbles messily into the nearest men's room, closing and locking the door firmly behind him before losing himself in a scream.

He brings his fist up to his mouth and bites down on his knuckle until the pain is almost as great as the one is his left hand, his scream stifling and hot and raw as it tears past his lips, spilling over his fingers and out into the air.

But it's not quite enough to release the pressure and he whirls, blindly, kicking at the nearest stall door and letting the slamming echo deep inside. He kicks the next door, and the next, then pivots again and beats at the wall until he can't feel his fingers at all anymore.

Only then does Chad finally stop, his chest heaving and eyes stinging painfully. And it all hurts, now that he's aware of himself; his knuckles bruised and bloody where the skin has peeled off, a twinge in his leg that he recognizes as a cramp of some kind.

He straightens, drawing a slow breath and crossing to the sink. He washes his hand awkwardly, trying to avoid getting the bandages around his left hand wet. The stark white contrasts with the diluted red, and he tries to focus on the colors, but the pain and the bandages and the screaming still remind him of the freaks who did this to him….

But he can't even think that anymore, can he? Not after hearing all that in the library. His body shudders, a long, slow shiver that pulls Chad deeper into his head.

He hadn't run away, though. Not because of that. Chad Charming didn't run from anything, especially not some villains who had no place being in his kingdom in the first place.

But he can't _think that_ , because damn it….

He almost wants to punch the wall again, but his now throbbing hand discourages that idea. Abuse. The word alone is enough to make him feel sick, and he hates that everyone _knows_ ; hates the pain and the sadness and the fucking _pity_ that reflected in everyone's eyes when they looked at him. At Ben's tone; all 'understanding' and condescending all at once.

 _"I know it's kind of a big deal for your family."_

Like it was just some 'thing' that could be easily dismissed. Like his family wasn't torn apart because of it. Like it was something to be 'observed' or 'remembered' like a holiday or something exclusive and foreign and unique only to the Charmings.

"You have no idea, Ben," Chad spits at the mirror, his usually fine features contorting into something painful and bitter. "You have no idea what my family has been through."

Or just how much Auradon had screwed them over.

The Charmings had joined with Auradon when Chad was only five, but even then, he had sensed the shift their presence had brought. Or more specifically, his mother's presence. He had noticed the whispering, the rumors, the _looks._ But he'd only fully understood when he was seven, after two years of unsuccessful friendships and taunts; and his father had finally taken the time to explain to him just why it was that everyone was so bothered by them.

Because not only was his mother not of royal blood, she was also…different. Scandalously so, by Auradon standards.

Chad remembered once, when he was about six, watching his mother clean the castle. He'd toddled after, eyes wide and confused, as she'd let all the servants go, and insisted that she would make sure everything was clean; that it was her job, and that it would all be fine if she could just reach that chandelier….

His father had been angry at first, but then it had turned into a weary, wary sadness when his mother had suddenly collapsed against him, tears streaming down her face as she uttered barely audible apologies; pleas and promises to do better, to make sure she was doing enough for him; that she would make sure he wouldn't regret taking some worthless girl off the streets as his wife; that she was sorry, sorry, sorry.

Chad grits his jaw to keep the lump from rising in his throat, his fists clenching again as the anger at it all slowly started coming back. The worst of it was over, just memories and nightmares from childhood. But the effects were still there, even now…even now Chad would sometimes hear people whispering and laughing about his mother's 'cleaning routines.'

They didn't know that it was only because of his father's tireless work and added comfort and contact on Chad's part that the routine even existed. They didn't know that it was the only thing, strangely, painfully, that would help calm his mother's lingering anxieties. That if they didn't let the servants have a day off every season change: didn't let his mother clean the castle as she wished from top to bottom, that the resulting breakdown would be far more catastrophic.

It was just how they managed. How she coped. Who were _they_ to point and laugh and whisper? To fight to deny Cinderella a place on the council; to question Chad's own legitimacy as a Prince and worthy of the titles it would grant him?

Who were they to pity, to say _"I get that it's a big deal."_

Chad forces his hand to uncurl from its fist, hissing another curse at the responding twinge of pain. But his head is finally clear, at least, though he's pretty sure he's going to need even more bandages for his other hand, and _damn these VKs_ for coming here and forcing him to face his own problems. It was so much easier to ignore it, to ignore _her_ , then to face it and accept it, to accept everyone's silent ridicule.

But despite the pressure in his head easing, his chest is still all too tight, and Chad's finds himself shaking for an entirely different reason as his hands slip into his pocket and pull out his phone. The tiled walls replay each ring back to him, and his throat goes dry so that by the time the voice sounds at the other end, Chad can barely croak out his own words.

"H-Hi Dad," he says, and there are tears in his eyes but for once, he'll let them fall. "Is Mom there?"

* * *

 **Hey guys, I did a thing. I made you feel something for Chad.**


	18. But I'm really just asking to leave pt 2

**Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter full of feels for you! ;)**

 **Sorry if this is coming out late for you guys, I've been sick this past week and was just mopey and miserable, not even in the mood to write.**

 **But I'm here now, and I was really happy to see just how much you guys enjoyed my little thing with Chad from the last chapter, and all those new reviewers had me happy-dancing. :)**

 **Jumping straight into those reviews now (I don't even have to tell you what to do at this point, do I?):**

* * *

 **manticore-gurl071134 : Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it so much, and don't worry, we'll be finding out in this chapter how things go with the lunch. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Shots and Giggles: Haha, yes! MCR for life! (But also how did you know about the chapter title? Did you sneak a peek at my notes, lol) And I'm not sure what went wrong with your reviews, honestly. This is the first I've heard from you in a while. But I'm glad it worked out now at least. **

**And I'm really happy that you're enjoying everything I'm coming up with, especially with my characterization of Aziz and the other Aks. There'll be plenty more character development where that came from. I love Disney movies as much as the next person, but I'm always so frustrated by their lack of character development when it comes to their original movies on Disney Channel. Like they think they have to keep everyone static and clichéd in ways for the sake of the story or whatever, but I feel like it'd be so much more effective if they actually developed the characters and story.**

 **But I am excited for the second movie, too. We'll just have to wait and see what ends up happening. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy my story! :)**

 **Sand-wolf579 : Welcome to the story, and thank you for the review! I'm really glad you like what I'm doing with Chad. I agree, I love the stories that develop him as a really complex character. Makes me feel far more for him than I ever did in the movie. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy this story. **

**Gracfully : I'm glad you liked it! Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter too. **

**Starflight34 : Yeah, well, I wasn't fine with just hating him, lol. He's a jerk, but now he's a jerk with _feelings_! Haha, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. ;)**

 **GenderqueerWriter : Hey, good to hear from you! I'm glad you liked my little thing with Chad. And yeah, from the first time I saw the movie it was my official headcanon. Like, I thought first, how did they dye their hair on an Island with no money or resources? As someone with dyed hair I can say, it's expensive, lol. And they're literally cut off from all society and I doubt they had salons on the Isle. So then I was thinking about the magic, or lack thereof, and thought about how in most cases, magic needs some kind of outlet, even when contained, and that's how I came up with my little theory/headcanon. ;) **

**And yes, I am very excited to see your spinoff too! In the mean time I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **HeirOftheHowlingWolves : It's definitely something that could happen, and I'm glad you like it. :) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy my story!**

 **XxLaurenCheshirexX : I'm glad you liked the chapter, and my little Mal, lol. Don't worry, we'll get plenty of flashbacks for everyone so just you wait. And yes, there will be more of the adults POV on how they're observing the VKs and their transition. I'm also glad you liked what I did with Chad, and there's a bit more of that in this chapter too, so hopefully you'll like that just as much. :)**

 **Rucas1321 : Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you like this so much and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! **

**Kevin4baconhugs : Don't worry, he's still an ass. Just an ass with feelings, lol. I'm glad I was able to make you feel for him though, and we will be seeing plenty more of both the AKs and the VKs' plans, with an extra dose of feels just to balance things out. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Tiredandlazy : Lol, gosh darned auto correct! ;) And no shame in jumping up and down, I was kind of dancing myself as I read your review, lol. You definitely have a special spot on my list, and I love your so-called 'messy' reviews. **

**And I'm glad you liked my Baby Mal/Mama Maleficent thing, haha. I wanted to show how much Mal trusted (woops, note that past tense) her mother, and how much Maleficent, in all her evil glory, actually did/does care about Mal. (Giving you hope before brutally crushing it to dust, muwahaha!)**

 **And I'm thrilled that you like Aziz so much, and that you liked what I did with Chad. He is still human, despite whatever Disney might say/do, and so I made an effort to show that. And yes, that similarity between Cinderella and Carlos was intentional, and will be very important for what I have planned later. Hopefully you'll continue to follow along and enjoy this thing I have somehow managed thus far not to screw up. ;)**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111 : Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked what I came up with. And to clear your confusion, yes, Cinderella is the heroine, but the Evil Stepmother and one of the Step-sisters are on the Isle; Drizella. I took the liberty of keeping Anastasia in Auradon, because of the second movie redeeming her, so only half of Cinderella's 'family' are on the Isle, but it's still a big deal for Chad and the Charmings, which is what I was trying to convey there. **

**And I'm glad you like my writing style! :) I'm writing this in third person, but present tense so I can really get into everyone's head. And then flashbacks are past tense, to emphasize that past-ness, lol.**

 **And yes, Nikki and Aziz are my OTP, lol. Even though they're both technically my OCs. That concert was insane, can't believe people these days.**

 **But I'm glad you like my story and that I can provide some relief, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Wazup : Hi, welcome to the story and thanks for leaving a review! I'm so glad you love this story so much, and you've pretty much hit the nail on the head for my thought processes while writing this, lol. Always thought about the moral repercussions of the Isle and just how could a bunch of so called heroes create and endorse such a thing? So that's what I've been playing around with with this and I'm glad you picked up on it. **

**And yes, I do have more plans for Evie later on, but thank you for pointing that out to me. You're actually not the first to mention that, and it is something that I'm working on.**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Katy Rivera : Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I'm looking forward to these next few chapters too, lol, and I'm glad you like Aziz. He'll be making a regular appearance so you'll get to see plenty more of him. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Alex : Thank you for the review, I'm glad you like what I did with Chad. We have a bit more of that in the beginning of this chapter to brace yourself for that. And don't worry, the AKs will notice the abuse in the others; like you said, it is different, and so the signs are there, but not so noticeable for the AKs who have no experience with it whatsoever, and are only looking for the 'obvious' like bruises, etc. **

**I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Kitty Kat Vixen : Your compliments are greatly appreciated and I didn't think it was chaotic or weirdly worded (say that five time fast, lol!) I'm glad you love my story and my writing so much, and that you enjoyed what I did with Chad. I agree, I didn't like him in the movies. Not so much just because of his being an asshole, but he was so shallow and one dimensional it was painful. And I know that's just how Disney does, they're not one for character development, but I not just wanted, but _needed_ to do something different with Chad, and I'm glad I managed to pull it off. :) **

**And you're like the fifth person to bring up my portrayal of Evie to me, haha. Rest assured I will get there, I promise! And I'm not sure why it's always Carlos, I've noticed that trend too. But I hope you'll bear with me and continue to read along and enjoy!**

 **ashnicole896 : Thank you for the pm review! I'm so glad you love this story so much and it means a lot to hear how much you're enjoying it. Yes, definitely Disney. Not that I have anything against them, but they never go in depth and I knew from the first five minutes of the movie that I couldn't wait to start a fanfiction for it and go where no Disney has gone before, lol. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **tigerladygamer : *sighs, retrieves defibrillator again* Clear! *zaps tigerlady back to life with a new chapter* **

**Carmine De Vil : Poor Chad indeed! I'm glad I was able to make you feel something, though, and I hope you'll continue to read along and enjoy! **

**B O : Yes he is! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you'll continue to follow and enjoy. :)**

 **E B ShipsALot** **: Hi, welcome to the story and thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you like what I'm doing and that I was able to affect you and your feelings for Chad. I'm also happy you like the flashbacks, as I wasn't sure at first if they were really as effective as I was hoping, but don't worry, there will definitely be more flashbacks as this thing progresses. :) I hope you'll continue to read along and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **ElliGordon** **: Welcome to the story and thank you for the guess. You are correct, it was the forty thieves, but unfortunately my prompt suggestions are chosen. But I appreciate your review and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my story!**

* * *

 **Author's Note 1:**

 **Ok guys I'mma be straight with you (even if I'm not, lol.) Sorry, but real talk time. **(Trigger warning for author's personal emotional experiences and candid talk about depression/self-harm.)****

 **So, many of you have been mentioning, wondering, politely inquiring etc. about my lack of Evie in this story. I have been hiding, and denying and dodging due to my own, very real struggles with low self-esteem/depression/anxiety and self-harming. It is still a struggle, and that's the hard, painful thing about self-harm is that, like any addiction, once it's been used as a coping mechanism, it is all that really exists. It may seem like I'm 'ok' or 'recovered' from the outside, but just because it's past doesn't mean it's 'over.'**

 **The struggle is still very much real and then of course there's Evie's struggles to be perfect for everybody, and her mother's constant reprimands and conditioning also hits a little close to home. That line in one of the past chapters, Evie's mother's jibe on 'how can you expect to get a guy when you: look like that, dress like that, talk like that, etc.' comes from my own mom's expectations. (Not to mention that I always add 'or a girl' in my head, cuz, you know mom, I like girls too. But of course, never to say it to her face because as I may have mentioned, I'm a coward.)**

 **But, all that aside, I've been hiding that and trying to avoid that despite that I knew what I was getting into when I took on this story. This is not to say that I want anyone's pity or concern, but I understand how it's unfair to deny that part of myself. And it's not fair to you guys either, after all you've invested in me, I need to invest in you too. That being said, I will be incorporating more of Evie and her struggles into the story, it just may take some time for me to be able to process and shift through my own crap.**

 **I appreciate all the support and love for this story that you guys have already shown, and I will get it right for you. :)**

* * *

 **Author's Note 2:**

 **Whew, let's pretend that first note never happened ok? Ok.**

 **I'm very excited (and slightly nervous) for you guys to read this chapter. You thought the last one was emotional? Well hold on to your tissues and your cats/pet/cuddle buddy of choice!**

 **(Seriously, heed the trigger warnings and the disclaimer, this one is a doozy)**

 **We get the lunch party, a flashback, some more sign language, some new faces, and some angsty heart to hearts.**

 *****Trigger warnings for mentions of child abuse/neglect, implied assault, violence, language...you get the gist.**

 **Also, warnings for child endangerment/abuse, as well as slightly descriptive and morbid mentions of death. Trigger warnings again for implied molestation and assault.*****

 **Be warned, I ended up listening to 'Requiem for a dream' on a loop while writing the flashback portion, so it kind of got a bit...dark. I mean, it needed to be dark, but sorry about that in advance.**

 **Also a heads up for some LGBT mentions, as well as brief and implied homophobia/slurs.**

* * *

 ****Disclaimer****

 **The views/thoughts expressed in this chapter do not reflect the thoughts of the author! Such behavior is not only ignorant, but rude and hurtful, and any such comments or reviews will be deleted!****

 **If anyone has any problems with my portrayal or any questions/concerns, PM me. I will be more than happy to explain my reasoning and thought processes. (At the risk of spoilers.) But again, I will not accept or tolerate any flaming or otherwise abusive/negative comments, so PM me, otherwise such comments will be deleted.**

 ****End Disclaimer****

* * *

 **I hope you'll all enjoy and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **Audrey**

Audrey goes to find Chad the moment the meeting is over. She has an idea of where he might be, but he was unpredictable when he got like this…and violent, if pushed too far. She half expects to find a trail of tears when she steps out into the hallway, but it's strangely quiet- at least, in that regard. She finds herself tracking down Doug instead, finding the other boy just on the edge of the gardens, reading a book while also overseeing the decorating out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey Doug," she greets, sitting down on the picnic bench across from him. He blinks up at her, his hands marking his page on their own before he closes the book slowly.

"Hey, Audrey," he says back, and Audrey can't help but sigh at his tone; heavy and cautious, just like he was in the library.

"I still can't believe we just had that conversation," she says, and Doug nods, his body slumping forward slightly over the table.

"I didn't want to see it for myself at first," he admits. "I even told Ben that it wasn't a big deal that the Isle got our garbage and leftovers."

"You did?" This is a surprise. She never would have thought that Doug wouldn't be able to see the wrong in a thing, or even admit to it.

"Yeah," he replies with a soft snort and a shake of his head. "Look at hypocritical me now. Sympathizing with the enemy."

"They're not our enemy," Audrey is quick to defend, and Doug's lips twitch wryly.

"I know that," he says. "Now. But even so, it still feels weird."

"Not as weird as Chad must be feeling," she puts in, and Doug grimaces, his eyes flickering behind his glasses.

"Chad's….," Doug trails off, the weight of the other boy's connection to the situation hanging heavily in the air and overshadowing the festivities beyond them.

"Yeah," Audrey says, and leaves it at that. There's nothing else to say, nothing that wouldn't have already been said or debated over.

"He'll come around, though," Doug says, but he doesn't sound certain enough to Audrey. "He just needs some time, and distance, maybe."

"I don't think giving him distance will end well," Audrey counters carefully. "Not with the VKs so close. Things could go right back to how they were in the beginning…and I don't think a lack of weapons would stop anyone."

Doug gives a short, scoffing laugh of agreement, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"Still," Audrey continues softly. "We need to do something to intervene. I don't want this to give Chad any more reason to think badly of the VKs…or of Auradon in general."

"Yeah I learned the hard way that Chad doesn't take kindly to 'interventions,'" Doug mutters, averting his eyes with a bitter quirk of his lips. "But you're more than welcome to try. I saw him heading towards the Tourney field."

Audrey frowns at that, surprised by the information. She knew Chad had a temper, but she'd never known him to be violent towards his friends. Although, there still was a lot she didn't know about the other boy or his family, so she supposed it was only fair. And the Tourney field was definitely a fitting place for him to be, considering how wound up he'd been.

"Thanks Doug," she smiles at him, and Doug nods non-committedly, his eyes scanning the gardens again.

"Anytime," he says, before suddenly straightening, lifting his chin as he calls out in the direction of one of the nearby pavilions.

"Hey Aziz, Nikhil!" he shouts, squinting slightly as he frowns. "Are you guys helping to decorate or is this just a date or something?"

Audrey follows Doug's glaring gaze to see the two boys in question, Aziz standing on the upper rung of a ladder with Nikhil a couple rungs below him. Both of them are holding one end of a banner, but it's far from being hung up, the two boys leaning close in a gesture suspiciously reminiscent of a kiss.

At Doug's shout they break apart, Aziz looking vaguely flustered, but pleased, and Nikhil sporting a cocky grin.

"It's called multitasking, Dwarf Boy!" Nikhil shouts back with a wave. "You should try it sometime!"

"Nikki," Audrey hears Aziz murmur, but his disapproval is cut short with a laugh as the other boy mutters something only they can hear.

Doug grumbles something unintelligible under his breath as Audrey stifles her own amusement for his sake.

"I don't know who thought those two being a couple was a good idea," he mutters.

"Pretty sure that was Mason," Audrey puts in, allowing herself to smile. "He's always bragging about his 'instincts.'"

"Right, so we need to stop him next time he decides to match-make again."

Audrey chuckles, looking back over to the pavilion to see that Nikki and Aziz have actually moved on to hanging the blue and yellow banner instead of flirting.

"I don't know, Doug," she says slyly. "I think they're kinda cute together. Plus, come on, the son of Aladdin and the son of Naveen? They both sort of have that…inherent charisma."

"Charisma," Doug grumbles, but he'd slowly drifted back to his book, and Audrey decides she'd better leave him to stew. She still had to find Chad and hopefully get him into a decent mood before the party in a few hours.

They couldn't afford for anything else to go wrong.

* * *

Audrey finds Chad right where Doug had said; running an aggressive set of drills through and around the Tourney field. He'd set the canons to auto-fire, and the narrow, weighted disks whizzed chaotically across the field. Audrey watched for a moment as Chad dodged around a ring, twisting away from an incoming projectile as he did so. But Audrey could tell he wasn't fully into it; his turns sloppy and frantic as he touched down at one of the orange cones and sprinted back towards the center of the field. He wasn't even in full gear, only wearing his helmet and jersey.

He didn't even seem to see her, though she was sure she was visible enough from her place in the cheerleader's ring. But she didn't call out just yet, not wanting to throw off what little focus he had. She regretted it a moment later as Chad hastily barreled out of the way of another missile, but didn't see the second one still coming. She winces as he catches a glancing blow to his side, and Chad stumbles desperately to the left, dodging around another cone before he collapses to his knees.

She can hear him cursing even before he takes off his helmet, his face flushed and his hair plastered to his forehead as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small remote. He slams the button vigorously and the canons shut off, but not before launching another half-hearted missile across the field. It barely makes it to the ten yard mark, but Audrey is too focused on Chad to worry about it.

It hurts to see him like this; so out of control and, yes- vulnerable. It's so strikingly different from his usual snarky, controlled self that it doesn't even feel real. But his heaving shoulders are definitely real, and Audrey bites her lip worriedly as she debates on how to approach him. Then she remembers just where she's standing, and she straightens to her full height, plastering a smile onto her face and striking a pose.

"Chad, Chad he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!"

Her cheer startles him, if the sudden fumble of his hands is any indication, but he lifts himself to his feet and turns towards her anyway.

"Audrey?" he half pants, half groans. "What the hell?"

"I thought you could use a little lift," she calls back, ignoring the scowl her words bring.

"I don't need…" he mutters, but he stops, shaking his head before pushing himself into another drill.

"Let's go Char-ming, let's go!" Audrey cheers, and Chad huffs to a stop just outside the cheerleading ring.

"Seriously, Audrey, quit it," he snaps weakly. "I'm not in the mood."

"Exactly why I'm here," she counters, refusing to drop her pose. "The star player of the Auradon Knights deserves at least one cheerleader while he practices."

Chad scoffs, but his lips twitch slightly, and Audrey grins wider.

"I'm not even the star player," Chad tries to argue. "Ben is."

"He's the honorary star, true," Audrey agrees with a sly look. "But when it comes to the game, everyone knows you have him beat. But don't tell him I said that."

Chad looks like he wants to laugh, but he shakes his head instead, his expression sinking further.

"Come on Chad," Audrey coaxes. "Just one smile would be nice."

"Like I said, not in the mood." His head drops, his chin brushing his chest so Audrey can barely hear him. "I really just…want to be alone right now."

"Mm, that doesn't sound like a good idea to me," Audrey hums lightly, ignoring Chad's frustrated grunt. Do you…want to talk?"

"Doesn't sound like a good idea to me," he sing songs back, his face twisting mockingly.

"Chad," Audrey says, stopping him from jogging away again. "Please."

"What do you want me to say, Audrey?" He snaps then, stalking back over to her, stopping just short of invading the dividing line between them. "What can I possibly say that will make any of this shit ok?"

"It's not ok," she agrees, stifling down her own reaction and forcing herself to remain calm. "It's not ok, and you have every right to be upset about it."

"Fucking understatement of my life," he grumbles back, and Audrey presses her lips tightly.

"But you don't have the right to push everyone else away," she counters firmly. "We're you're friends, Chad. We are here for you."

"Yeah, just like Auradon is 'here for me'," he retorts, pacing a frantic line before turning and walking back. "You know what sucks the most? The fact that they can sit there on their asses and say 'well maybe villains do deserve a chance' in one breath, and screw over my mom in the next."

"Chad…"

"They have more compassion for a bunch of villains than they ever did for her!" Chad turns and throws his helmet across the field, the hardened plastic bouncing once before rolling to stop at the edge of the bleachers.

"None of us think that way," Audrey says, when he's finished yelling, and she finally gets a smile, but it's too twisted and bitter to count.

"Yeah, ok," Chad says, turning to retrieve his helmet, but Audrey reaches out and grabs his arm, turning him back.

"Believe me when I tell you that _none of us_ think that way about you, or your mother. We're your _friends_ , Chad. It's what we're here for."

He's silent a moment, his eyes more grey than blue in the afternoon lighting. He draws a breath that shakes too much, and when he speaks he talks to row of bleachers behind her.

"I talked to her. Just now."

"You did? Really?" Audrey can't help her surprised tone this time, but he doesn't comment on it right away. "How uh, how is she?"

"Are you asking because you really care, or because you're obligated to act concerned as part of your 'patronizing Auradon citizen' thing?"

"Have I ever been fake with you?" she retorts, and his eyes flicker, but he says nothing. "So, how is she?"

"She's…ok, actually," he says, and he lets out a little sound that might be a laugh. "Wasn't happy about that letter Fairy Godmother sent about the fight, though. Got an earful for that. Probably deserved it."

"Probably," Audrey says, and Chad shoots her a look, but he's smiling just a little, and she considers it almost a success.

"She was excited, though, about Ben's decree. Real excited. But that's not a surprise since she _was_ one of advocates for it. Dad…not so much."

He makes a face, but shakes it aside before Audrey can comment on it.

"But I did ask her…I asked her if she ever thought about…the other half of our family. On the Isle. And if it was actually possible for a villain to be redeemed."

Audrey tenses slightly, but he's still not quite looking at her, so he misses the movement. "What did she say?"

"She said that she thought about them all the time; hoping that they were ok and that they were safe. She said that it's only because of her belief in redemption that she was able to get as far as she did…and that I should write to Aunt Anastasia for the story from her end."

"Well, that's good advice," Audrey offers, but Chad is frowning again, his brow furrowed in worry.

"I don't know. I think…I think it might be, but I can't…." He trails off, his hands lifting to run through his tangled hair, his fingers tugging anxiously at the sweaty locks.

"You can't reconcile her forgiveness with the terrible things her family did," Audrey guesses, and Chad tugs so hard at his hair that he winces.

"Her family," she repeats bitterly. "Our family… _my_ family! That's what really gets me. She was against the Isle from the beginning, but she's so happy about Ben's decree because she thinks that if this group succeeds, Auradon will bring another group over. She's excited, because she can use her influence- _Dad's_ influence really, because who would listen to her?- to convince them to bring my cousin over."

Audrey blinks, trying to process the slew of words that had come from his mouth. "Your cousin?" She manages, and Chad's lips quirk again into a half-smile.

"Yeah. Apparently, I have a cousin over there. Antoine. Aunt Drizella's."

"I didn't know that," Audrey murmurs, and Chad snorts, rolling his eyes.

"That's the point," he says. "You're not supposed to know. No one is, until the next group is chosen. But it turns out that even Aunt Drizella isn't so horrible, and actually wrote to Mom when he was born. To brag, mostly; about how 'perfect' he was."

"How old is he, then?" Audrey wonders out loud. "And who's his…?"

"Don't," Chad cuts across her quickly, his face suddenly not so flushed. "It…you don't…just, no."

"Did Drizella write…?"

"Implications, mostly," Chad grimaces. "And 'grown up' conversations that I wasn't supposed to hear. But apparently the Isle _really_ isn't all that pleasant when you're a young and vaguely beautiful aristocratic woman. Even if it is all former."

Audrey doesn't even want to think about what that means, but of course, finds herself thinking anyway, and the images and ideas her brain throws at her are enough to make her sick. She forces her thoughts aside, and tries to return to a lighter thread.

"Why Antoine?" she asks, and Chad blinks. "I mean, you'd think Drizella would have given him a name more…after hers."

"She did," Chad says. "She named him Darian. And he's two years younger than me; so he'd be 16 by now. Apparently his name meant 'gift' or something. Lady Tremaine renamed him Antoine, as a sort of bitter, mocking thing of Anastasia."

"Well that's…."

"Fucked up?" Chad offers wryly.

"I'd have used a different word," Audrey mumbles, but he wasn't exactly wrong, so she doesn't argue further.

"Yeah, well, word choice aside, she still wants him here in Auradon. But that also requires acknowledging the whole thing in the first place; admitting that Auradon was wrong in placing them there and also…forgiving them for everything."

Oh, there it was. That's what he was so upset about. And Audrey understood it completely. How can you forgive someone who destroyed your life so horribly? Even her own parents would never even think about doing such a thing for Maleficent, and considering everything Chad and his family had already gone through, there really was no wonder he was lashing out.

"Are you going to?" Audrey asks carefully, stepping just a little closer.

"I don't know," he says, and his voice is thick and raw with rarely shown emotion. "But Mom thinks I should try. It's what she wants, anyway. For the sake of family."

"And what do you want?"

Chad looks at her then, his jaw set despite the unshed tears in his eyes. "I want to forget it ever happened. I want to ignore her; deny her and pretend she doesn't exist again for the sake of 'fitting in' and 'making friends.'"

He draws a sharp hiss of a breath, blinking hard before continuing, his voice hard despite the way it shook. "And I want to find de Vil, and finish what I started in that hallway with Jay."

"Now who's faking?" Audrey replies softly, and that's all it really takes for Chad to crumple, sobbing into the grass at her feet.

She falls with him, placing one hand on his shoulder while the other rubs gentle circles across his back. There's nothing she can say to this; no words of comfort or helpful platitudes will erase the years of pain and repressed emotion. So Audrey says nothing, and just lets him scream and cry and curse, and she thinks that maybe sometimes that is the better option. Talking was overrated, anyway.

When he finally goes quiet, Audrey leans closer, wrapping her arms around him in a brief, but reassuring hug. He pulls away first, and she lets him, standing and straightening out her skirt and letting him compose himself.

"You ok?" she finally asks, and he looks at her fully this time, smiling broadly.

"Oh, always," he says, and Audrey feels a slight pull of sadness at his smile. "Now come on, if I'm going to be sulking and avoiding the party I'd better at least not be a sweaty wreck."

Audrey lets him go, and sighs to herself a moment before following. She crosses the field to the bleachers and stoops to grab his helmet, rubbing her palm across the grass stain on the side. Always ok, she thinks. And it's true…painfully true. Has to be true, because he really couldn't afford to be anything less.

His smile was what had done it for her. Because despite all her attempts to make him do just that, his smile has been a 'Chad smile'; just a plaster on face to keep in place just long enough to keep everyone else happy, and never mind just how much you weren't happy inside.

And of course, she would know. She'd taught him that smile, after all.

* * *

 **Mal**

The food stash Jay had brought had been the best thing about being at Auradon, hands down. Even with the regular meals - the fucking _scheduled meals!_ \- it was more than comforting to have that familiarity back, especially once the boys started fighting over it. Evie had sorted the whole thing, and once the unwrapped food had been devoured, Mal had taken the time to open her own little package that she'd swiped.

Carlos was trying to teach Jay, unsuccessfully, how the puzzle cube worked, while Evie continued outlining her sewing. The package was small and round, silvery with red stripes on the front. Mal frowns at the sealed ends before simply biting through one side and tearing with her teeth. Ever effective, the package opens with a soft ripping sound, and Mal quickly catches the little thing that falls out.

It's small and round, a bright red color that definitely couldn't be _real_ food. Mal makes a face at its stickiness, but when she licks her palm experimentally, she's surprised by the flavor; tart and sweet, like some kind of fruit. She examines the food, and thinks that it must be some kind of candy, and notices that it's wound up almost like a coil of rope.

Unwinding it, the candy ball turns into a little strip, and Mal rips off a small piece and shoves it into her mouth before she can start second guessing. Hesitating with even a crumb of food back home meant you didn't get the food at all. The strip is a little sour, but ultimately, Mal decides she likes it, and tears another piece off for herself before letting out a soft, breathy whistle.

"Hey C," she calls, when she has his attention. "Try this."

She tosses the roll over and smirks when Jay catches it instead, ignorant of Carlos' protests as he examines it closely.

"What is it?" Jay murmurs, finding the end of the candy strip and pulling it apart.

"Some kind of candy," she answers with a shrug. "It's not chocolate, but it's sweet enough."

Carlos grins, and leaps at Jay with more fervor, wiggling his way through the other boy's grip and snatching the treat, shoving the whole roll into his mouth before Jay can even get a breath to yell.

Evie rolls her eyes with a disgusted sigh, but Mal finds herself actually enjoying the sight. To see the two boy's so relaxed, even with Jay still injured. The fact that they were in a room of their own, secure, safe- and that it's no longer a match for survival so much as it's simple…play. It's foreign.

So foreign that it's dangerous, and Mal scowls, her brow furrowing even further as she realizes she'd been genuinely smiling.

"Ok guys, listen up," she snaps, and the boys look up from their tangle of limbs while Evie quickly drops her sewing, straightening on the bed beside her.

"Just because we've made it a week doesn't mean we get to relax, or lose focus. We could have been killed in any number of ways getting like this at home, so why is here any different?"

"Because it is…?" Jay drawls slowly, dropping Carlos to the floor, the smaller boy landing with a thump and a yelp.

"It's not," Mal insists. "We still need to be careful here, now more than ever. They already know too much about us, and with the attack on Jay and Carlos, they also know that we can be vulnerable. Weak."

Jay frowns, and Evie opens her mouth to say something but Mal cuts her off.

"We need to stick together, and stick to the plan. Find the wand, and take over Auradon. Ok?"

"Right," Jay murmurs, gripping his crutch tightly. "So then, no party?"

Mal feels the burn before her anger catches up to her, and she glances down to see a faint snapping of sparks stinging her palms.

"Jay, seriously?"

"I mean, hey, I was just asking," he says, lifting his hands defensively and then grimacing as his support falls away.

"M, it's ok," Evie says, and Mal bristles as the sparks flash a little brighter. "I get that things haven't been the best so far, but we _have_ made it. We're still together, and we're safe for once in our lives. Shouldn't we enjoy it?"

"Just relax and enjoy it? Where have I heard _that_ before?" Mal retorts, and she can feel the tight pinch in her throat that means her voice is shaking, but she forces the feeling aside.

Evie flinches, and Carlos goes pale, but it's Jay who answers her, his voice level and the exact opposite of Mal's own.

"Pretty sure we've all heard it before, Mal," he says quietly. "But we're still here. Still alive and still together, and nothing's going to change that."

"Nothing except for some friendly Auradon kids who throw parties and invite you to their tables in an attempt to get you to lower your guard so they can divide and conquer."

"Mal, come on. It's not like that at all," Evie says, but the other girl still looks shaken, and while Mal regrets her harsh words from earlier, she can't give in to that now.

"I mean, Carlos ate breakfast with them, right? And that went fine," Jay says, slowly, and with a pitch of a question in his voice as he turns to the smaller boy.

Carlos nods, his left hand coming up in a fist shape to 'knock' at the air in front of him. He then brings a flat palm to his lips and brings it down to rest against his right hand, outstretched in another flat palm.

[Yes. It was good.]

"See?" Jay says, but Carlos isn't finished signing yet, and Mal bites her lip in an attempt to remain patient.

He fingerspells A-U-R-A-D-O-N, before bringing his right hand up into a flat palm level with his torso; sliding his left hand parallel across it in a flat palm shape. He hesitates a moment, then finishes by pointing at himself; before bring his left hand up in a flat 'five' palm shape against his chest; he pulls his hand out and brings together his middle and thumb fingers; before bringing his hand up to point emphatically at the area in front of him.

[Auradon is nice. I like it here.]

"That's great, I'm glad you think it's so nice," Mal replies shortly, before realizing that she really _did_ like being in Auradon, too. "Shit."

Carlos blinks, looking unsure, his hands fidgeting with the dog tail at his belt.

"M?" Evie asks softly, and Mal shakes her head.

"It is nice. And I hate it, and I still don't know how we're going to get the wand or last another day, let alone another week. But fuck, it is nice."

"Mal, this isn't like at home where relaxing means dying," Jay says, and Mal hates that knowing look in his eyes, hates the tightness she can feel settling around her throat. "Sure, ok, we had a rough start, but when has anything been easy for us?"

"I feel like I'm being given a pep talk by Fairy Godmother," Mal mutters, but their words are somehow more than reassuring.

She'd never had anyone to rely on, not even her mother was one for things like 'comfort' or 'caring.' Mal had learned at a young age the dangers of such sentiments. But to be in Auradon, to be in a place that actively encouraged such things…it was getting harder and harder for Mal to ignore it.

"I just…I worked too hard for something like you guys and…I'm not going to let Auradon take it from me."

It's too much emotion for her, and yet it feels strangely right. It's solidified when she feels a soft, warm pressure from her left, which is rapidly joined by another warm presence to her right, and a thick, fuzzy softness wiggling its way through the tangle to press against her back.

"As if we'd ever let anything get between us," Evie murmurs from her left, her arms squeezing tightly around Mal's torso.

"Especially not a bunch of prissy princes and perfect princes," Jay scoffs lightly from her right.

Carlos' curls nuzzle softly against the back of her neck as he wraps his arms further around her, and Mal feels a sharp prickle of tears, and blinks hard as she lets out a sound that;s half laugh, half sob.

"Well, fuck, guys," she hisses through the lump in her throat. "What am I supposed to say to that?"

"Absolutely nothing," Evie whispers.

And Mal doesn't actually cry, of course she doesn't. And she'd murder anyone who dared to suggest that she'd come pretty close.

* * *

 **Beast**

"Belle, which looks better: the blue or the yellow?"

Belle laughs softly, glancing over her shoulder at him as she fastens a gold chain around her neck. "I think either one will be fine, dear," she says, but Adam frowns anyway, glaring at the ties in his hand.

"How am I supposed to dress for an…event…like this?" he asks, grimacing as he thinks on it. 'Event' was a generous word, in his mind. The whole thing was generous.

"You dress how you always dress," Belle retorts with a smirk. "Honestly, Adam. You've been King for how long?"

"Longer than I would have thought possible if not for you," he replies instantly, sighing as he slips the yellow tie around his neck, tossing the blue one back into the drawer.

"Well, that may be true," Belle answers with another laugh. "But I think you can dress yourself for one garden luncheon."

"You make it sound so simple," he grumbles, turning to straighten his tie in the mirror. "Like we're not going to have a garden luncheon with a group of young villains."

Her reflection frowns at him, and he looks away from her sheepishly.

"Adam," she begins slowly. "We discussed this, didn't we?"

"We have," he sighs warily. "But discussion or not, it doesn't change the facts, Belle. The facts! That we are going to have lunch with…"

"With our son and his friends, and the children that we have hospitably welcomed into our kingdom," she finishes firmly, glaring at him through the mirror.

"Our son," he repeats just as firmly. "Who doesn't seem to fully understand just what he's allowed into the kingdom."

"I think he understands far more than you give him credit for," Belle scolds mildly. "And complaining about it won't make it go away. Besides, we've been invited, it would be rude to say no."

"I'm used to being rude," he tries, but she rolls her eyes at his attempt, turning away to retrieve a pair of shoes from her closet.

He takes a moment to admire her, still not entirely sure how he'd managed to hang onto her for so long. It really was a fairy tale ending, and yet it still didn't feel real to him. At least, not until the villains had finally made their reentry.

"What is this lunch party even for?" he asks, as he shrugs into royal blue Auradon jacket and Belle comes up with a simple, yet elegant pair of sandals.

"I believe he said it was to celebrate the children's first full week in Auradon," she replies, and he shakes his head because only their son would think of such a thing.

"He has a good heart," he concedes with a soft smile. "I'm certain he gets it from you."

"Don't sell yourself short," Belle replies as she slips her arm into his. "I wouldn't have stayed for anywhere near as long as I did if I hadn't seen something good in you."

"Well I suppose that's comforting," he says, and she smiles at him just as fondly as she had during their first dinner.

"Now, shall we?" she asks, gesturing to the door and all that waited beyond.

"We might as well," he teases lightly. "Or we'll have gotten all dressed up for nothing."

And never mind the fact that he still thought it was all going to back fire horribly. He would do his best to at least try and be supportive. If only for his family's sake.

* * *

 **Mal**

"I already hate everything."

"It looks amazing," Evie squeals beside her, and Mal grimaces, resisting the urge to gag as she takes in the gardens.

Everything is covered in ribbons and bows, balloons tied to each table and perfectly color coordinated with the Auradon school colors. There's even banners everywhere that say 'Congratulations!' in alternating blue and yellow letters. Not to mention the people; everyone dressed up in bright colors and horrifying shades of pink and gold and….

"Nope, I'm going back to the room," Mal snaps, shaking her head and turning to do just that when Jay grabs her by the shoulder and turns her around.

"Come on, Mal," he mutters. "This was your idea."

"It was not my idea," she retorts quickly. "It was his." She glares at Carlos, who's frozen in something halfway between shock and awe, his eyes wide as he tries to stare at everything at once.

"But you agreed to it," Evie puts in unhelpfully from her left. "So yeah, it's your idea."

"My idea involved finding and stealing a certain magical artifact," she tries to argue, but Jay rolls his eyes and swings himself forward to join Carlos at the front.

"It'll be fun," Evie insists with a grin. "Come on Mal, when was the last time you really had fun?"

Mal frowns, and thinks for a moment before answering. "That time when I was ten and hexed one of the shopkeepers who tried to punish me for stealing from him. He couldn't walk for like, a week."

"Ok…that doesn't count," Evie drawls slowly, but Mal can see her trying not to laugh.

"I don't think this counts as fun either, though," Mal argues, glancing back towards the party. No one has noticed them hovering around the edges yet, but she's certain it's only a matter of time before they're spotted.

"It will be," Evie insists quietly, sensing her reluctance. "We're all together and safe for the first time in our lives. Plus," she adds with a very Evie-like smirk. "There's cute boys and cute clothes and food everywhere, and it's all for us so we might as well help ourselves."

"Only you, E," Mal mutters, shaking her head, but the tense coil in her gut has lessened some, and she slips up to stand closer to the boys, who shuffle around to make room for her.

"We got this, right?" she asks them, and Jay nods with a sly glint in his eye.

"Oh yeah," he says, and Mal glances to see Carlos has a similar look on his face.

"Auradon w-won't know what hit thththem."

Alright then, Mal reasons to herself with a nod. How can she argue with that confidence?

"Let's do it then," she says, and strides forward, lifting her head high as they fall in around her.

She heads for the center pavilion first, deciding it best to tackle things head on, but a shout from their left brings them to a halt.

"Hey, you guys made it!"

She deflates, all her earlier spark and drive driven from her with a disgusted snarl.

"Aziz," she growls the boy's name, and he laughs in the face of her hostility, winking at Evie before launching himself at the other half of their group like an over-excited two year old.

"Jay! Carlos!" He swings himself around the taller of the two before swooping down and ruffling the smaller's hair. "You guys _have_ to check out the field! We set up an obstacle course and some other stuff out there I know you're going to _love_!"

Mal clears her throat sharply, and Aziz looks up, blinking at her innocently. "We literally only came for the food," Mal says coldly, and Aziz blinks again before _laughing_.

"Right, well that would be the giant tent over to the left there," he says, pointing it out to them. "Help yourself, but don't touch the cake. We're saving that for later."

"Cake?" Jay questions with a lift of his brow, but a new voice breaks in; young and male, with a slight accent almost like a song in his voice.

"There you are Aziz," the voice says. "I wondered where you ran off to."

"I told you where I was going, Nikki," Aziz replies, straightening and smiling broadly at the newcomer.

"No," the voice, now Nikki, drawls. "You shouted something along the lines of 'holy crap, be right back,' before sprinting across the field like a child."

Mal snorts softly, deciding that she rather liked this guy and his attitude. Her amusement is noticed by Aziz, unfortunately, who gasps and darts around to stand next to the other boy.

"Introductions!" he announces, before drawing a slow breath, adopting a far more formal manner. "Guys this is Nikhil, son of Naveen and Tiana. Nikki this is everyone."

"Hi," Mal says quickly, if only to get it out of the way, but she can't deny the _slight_ shiver that goes through her when the boy looks at her and smiles.

"Hello," he replies cheerily, inclining his head politely before turning and greeting Evie and Jay as well. His eyes fall on Carlos, and his head jerks back with a soft, but not unpleasant laugh.

"And I know who _you_ are," he says, and Mal glances at Carlos, surprised. Her surprise turns to concern when she notices that Carlos is fidgeting, his hands rapidly twisting his dog tail into a ropy mess. She frowns, and lifts a hand to sign, but Nikhil's next words give her pause.

"Aziz talks about you all the time. And I would be jealous except," he shrugs, and Carlos fidgets a little harder, and that's _definitely_ something a little more than just nervousness on his face.

"Jealous?" Mal cuts in, being sure to lace her voice with every bit of danger she can muster.

Nikhil doesn't catch it, but Aziz definitely does, and he straightens sharply, stepping forward and placing a hand on the other boy's arm. Nikhil stops talking, and Aziz's lips twitch in a brief but wary smile.

"Sorry, he can be a bit much once you get him going," he says. "Then again, I am too, but uh…what else can you expect?"

He tries for a laugh, but Carlos is still clearly nervous about something, and Mal was not about to back down until she knew what.

"What did he mean by that, though? About being jealous?" She presses, and hears Carlos whisper her name anxiously behind her.

Aziz looks slightly caught off guard, as does Nikhil, but then both boys straighten, and Aziz draws a slow breath that is far more solemn and serious than Mal would have thought him capable of.

"Guys," he says slowly, and Mal tenses at the serious note in his voice. "Nikki is my boyfriend."

* * *

 **Jane**

The last thing Jane wanted was to be at the VKs party. Not because she didn't like them, or anything. But parties meant having to wear a nice dress, and make up, and hair…and Jane had none of that. Parties of any kind never ended well for her, and usually involved laughter, stains and tears, sometimes in that order.

But this party at least, she could try and pretend to enjoy, if only because there was a chance that the VKs might actually show up and she could talk with Carlos again. She didn't know what it was about him, but she found she could actually talk to him, without fear or retaliation, and the fact that she could see he enjoyed being with her just as much…well, it was the sparkle on the glass slipper in Jane's mind.

Though it would be nice if they actually showed up. Jane slides up next to Ben, lifting her head to glance at the other boy to see him scanning the grounds anxiously.

"Nothing?" She asks, and Ben starts, turning to her in surprise.

"Oh, Jane," he sighs with a brief laugh. "Sorry, no. No sign of them yet. I was really hoping they'd be here…I mean, they accepted my invitation."

"They did accept?"

Jane is relieved to hear that. It meant that they were opening up to the idea of Auradon, at least.

"Yeah, but apparently Dad needed some convincing," Ben murmurs quietly, staring down into his cup. "I just wish he could see it my way sometimes."

"Wait," Jane frowns, confused. "You mean your parents?"

"Yeah," Ben says, lifting his head to frown back at her. "Why, what did you…?"

"I thought you were talking about the VKs!" Jane gasps, flushing with embarrassment. "Oh, I feel so stupid now!"

"You're not stupid, Jane," Ben assures quickly with a laugh. "I guess I didn't really make it clear. But there's no sign of Mal or the others, either, so…."

"I hope they come," Jane murmurs, staring forlornly out over the field. "I already feel bad that Chad's not here."

"You really think that'd be a good idea, though?" Doug chimes in, sliding up to Jane's left and handing her a cup of punch.

"No, I don't," she is quick to continue, accepting the drink with a shy smile. "But I feel bad that he's ruined things so much for himself that he won't be able to enjoy this."

"Well I for one, am definitely enjoying this," Aziz adds, grinning widely over the fields. "That obstacle course couldn't be better if it were designed by my dad himself."

"Oh and what," Nikhil pouts, plucking idly at his guitar strings. "My contribution means nothing?"

"We're talking practical stuff now, dear," Aziz says, adopting a solemn and mock condescending tone. "I'll call you if we need alternatives."

Jane giggles despite herself, and Audrey takes Doug's spot beside her as the other boy moves back to the table of food.

"I think we did a great job, guys," the head cheerleader sighs happily, leaning into Ben's shoulder. "Even if the VKs don't show, we should at least enjoy the hard work we put in."

"Any excuse for a party," Ben sighs, shaking his head, but his smile betrays him.

A horn honk cuts through the relaxed atmosphere, and at the same moment, Aziz lets out a sound that's half gasp, half yell.

"Holyshitholyshitholyshit, guys!"

"Aziz," Ben says, startled, and Jane glares at him, adding her own voice of disapproval.

"Sorry guys," he says, sounding breathless and not looking apologetic at all. "But holy _shit_ I'll be right back!"

And he takes off across the field without another word, grinning ear to ear. Ben lifts a brow, and Jane exchanges a shrug with Lonnie, who'd just jogged up from the obstacle course. Nikhil slips his guitar back over his shoulder and onto his back, frowning as he points in the direction the other boy had gone.

"Should I…?"

"Probably," Doug offers.

An enthusiastic whoop echoes across the field, and Doug frowns.

"But maybe wait a bit."

Nikhil chuckles, shaking his head before walking slowly out of the tent, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath that Jane can't catch.

"Ok," Ben says with a quick huff of breath, smoothing his hair and adjusting the cuffs on his blazer. "So who wants to be my support group for welcoming my parents to the party?"

"Actually," Lonnie says, pointing back in the direction she'd come. "I don't think I've thoroughly crushed all the guys on the course yet."

"And you wonder why they won't let you on the Tourney team," Audrey teases, and Lonnie frowns, pointing sternly.

"Don't even."

Jane stifles a laugh and glances back in the direction Aziz and Nikil had gone. "Actually, I think I'm going to join them and see what's going on. Judging by the way Aziz looked like it was Christmas, I think the VKs might be here."

"If they are, don't bring them this way until I make sure my parents are going to behave," Ben pleads, and Jane nods, unable to stop her laugh from escaping.

"I'll do my best," she promises, before jogging off after the two boys.

She couldn't believe they had actually made it. Excitement, along with a healthy dose of nerves, filled Jane as she ran. It would be the first time she'd meet with Carlos in a setting like this, and without any needles or awkward tension or complex machinery. Just the two of them, talking and maybe interacting as…friends? More than friends?

She blushes at the thought, but she wouldn't deny that the youngest of the VKs had a certain appeal about him. But Jane wasn't about to ruin what small friendship they might have kindled over something like that. Still, she could dream…

She's so caught up in her thoughts and excitement to see Carlos that she almost misses the raised voices, and she stops short, blinking as she tries to understand what she was seeing. She hears before she sees; a pavilion tent in between her and her objective, but there's no mistaking an argument. She hears Aziz, voice strained with emotion, and the VKs; Mal and Jay's voices being the loudest, and she doesn't understand any of what is being said: too much confusion and chaos and emotion.

And then Aziz and Nikhil come rushing through the pavilion; or rather, Aziz stumbles, his face pinched tightly with emotion, Nikhil not far behind. Aziz doesn't stop for a moment, almost barreling into Jane, and Nikhil offers her a wince of sympathy before calling out to the other boy.

"Hey, calm down. You almost killed Jane."

He tries for teasing, but there's a strain in his voice, too, and Aziz growls before kicking a nearby chair.

"Calm down!" he hisses, and Jane realizes it's anger that his face is tight with, that anger only barely under control. "Sure, Nikki, I'll be fucking calm."

Jane flinches at the vulgarity, but neither boy is entirely aware of her presence, and Jane is relieved at least, that the tent muffles some of the volume. She's certain that everyone can hear anyway, but her attention is drawn back to the two boys in the tent when Aziz lets out another curse, and Jane bites her lips anxiously.

"It's not like…," Nikhil starts, but then he catches himself, and Aziz bares his teeth in a vicious grimace.

"Not like we haven't heard it before?" he finishes, and Jane is startled by the ferocity in his tone.

"Well," Nikhil says simply, ever the voice of calm, but there's a sadness in his eyes that doesn't match his demeanor. "I'm only saying…"

"Did you fucking hear what I heard?" Aziz snaps, pacing a frantic line, ignorant of everything else. "And you have the _nerve_ …."

"What…what happened?" Jane whispers, hardly daring to speak louder for fear of shattering the already fragile atmosphere.

Nikhil winces, and Aziz stiffens, his head jerking sharply as he shakes it back and forth.

"Nothing I shouldn't have seen coming," Aziz answers after a moment. "I should have seen it, that's the thing! I should have fucking seen it and yet ironically enough, I never would have thought…."

"Introductions didn't go very well with the VKs," Nikhil supplies in an undertone, and Aziz snorts bitterly.

"Didn't go well…."

"I don't get it," Jane starts to say, but Aziz is answering even before the words have left her mouth.

"So I go to introduce Nikki, as my boyfriend," he's quick to emphasize, and Jane nods her head slowly to show she's following, despite the sudden pang of anxiety that grips her. "And…they just…."

He splutters weakly, blinking hard as he wrings his hands desperately.

"They didn't take to it very well," Nikhil murmurs.

Aziz lets out another choked snort, before cocking his hip and twisting his face into a mocking feminine impression.

"'But you're so good looking!'" he gasps, in an overly exaggerated and high pitched tone before dropping back into his own voice. "Like, seriously? What the fuck am I supposed to say to that?"

"Thank you?" Nikhil drawls with a half-hearted shrug.

"It's not a fucking _compliment_ , Nikki!"

"I know hon, I was trying."

"Fuck that," Aziz growls. "Fuck them."

"You don't mean that," Nikhil murmurs softly, taking a step towards his fuming boyfriend while Jane fidgets uncomfortably.

"Yes I do," Aziz retorts quickly, before deflating as he catches Nikhil's eye. "No I don't."

"I don't understand," Jane says nervously, her fingers tugging at the bow on her dress. "They insulted you guys?"

Aziz falls silent, surprisingly enough, and Nikhil sucks in a sharp breath before sighing his response.

"Apparently, and this is a direct quote from Mal, here: 'Not even the Isle allows that sort of fucked up shit.'"

Jane winces again, not just at the language, but the words themselves. "Ow," she mutters, biting her lip. "That's…"

"Not to mention Jay's sarcastic, 'Suddenly it all makes sense,' comment," Nikhil continues, shaking his head.

"And I'm not even going to repeat what else Evie said," Aziz grumbles with a shiver, his face twisting in what Jane can't tell is disgust or anger. Maybe both.

"Carlos was the worst, though," Nikhil sighs in an undertone.

Jane tenses, drawing in her breath in nervous anticipation. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Carlos might have done that could make any of this 'worse.' She didn't want to, either; didn't want to hear or see, didn't want the reminder of the fact that he was a villain.

"What did he say?" she asks, the question slipping unbidden past her lips.

Aziz shakes his head, a sad, bitter laugh pulling at his expression. "Nothing," he says. "And that's why it was the worst. He just…kept looking at me like…like I was some kind of monster."

"I'm sorry," Jane says, because it's the only thing she can manage without throwing up or crying.

"Yeah well, what else could I have expected, right?" Aziz tries to shrug, to smile even though Jane can tell how much pain he's in.

"Aziz," Nikhil tries, but Aziz pulls away again, shaking his head.

"No, it's whatever. I mean, never trust a villain."

And then he's gone, shoving through the tent flaps and stalking away across the field. Jane doesn't trust her voice enough…doesn't trust the words she might say to make any of this ok.

"Well fuck," Nikhil deadpans.

And Jane supposes that's close enough.

* * *

 ** _Jay_**

Death had a way of stalking Jay, even as young as nine. Jafar had little to no sense of value of a person's life, and it was only fitting, given his snake life nature, that Jay had learned at least six ways to poison a person by the time he was four. By the time he turned six, he'd seen his first murder. And by the time he'd turned nine, he'd slit his first throat.

Now, at eleven, Jay had fatally poisoned eight people, and killed two. Despite this, he had still complained to his dad after the meeting with Maleficent. The 'family trade' was just that: family, and despite his father's obviously fleeting affections, it was something of a betrayal to teach someone else how to kill. Especially if that someone else was a weak little girl.

He'd earned himself a beating and a week without food for that one.

"That 'weak little girl'," Jafar had snarled between Jay's screams and the lash of the whip. "Is the key to getting off this miserable rock! Keeping in Maleficent's good graces and teaching the bitch to kill is the most important thing you'll ever do with your miserable excuse of a life."

Jay hadn't complained after that…not that he'd even been physically able to after a chance blow had cut across his face; slicing into his cheek and lips and leaving him painfully mute for weeks. He'd been glad for the starvation punishment then, certain that anything more than breathing would cause his entire face to split open.

Jay shivered to himself, shaking his head and shoving the thoughts away as he glared through the dark of the alley at the man he was following. According to his dad, not only did this man run a rather profitable side business, he also happened to hold a significant portion of debt over Jafar. Most of it had been cleared away through various business deals, but apparently the man wasn't entirely satisfied and was still demanding payment.

Which wouldn't have been a problem expect for the fact that his dad was refusing to pay. And then the threats had started piling up; shadowy figures breaking into the shop and writing graphic (and entertainingly profane) warnings on the walls in Arabic. And blood.

The stress of it all was wearing on Jafar, and in turn, wearing on Jay's back. He grimaced as he rolled his shoulder, the healing cuts pulling sharply at the movement. If this guy didn't meet with an unfortunate accident soon, it would be Jay's blood that stained the shop's walls next.

The man darted from the alley suddenly, and Jay leapt to the balls of his feet, fingering the vial sewn into the sleeve of his shirt nervously. It was only as a last resort, and the knife in his right hand would do well enough, but if things went bad, Jay preferred the thought of a quick death to the fate of slitting his own wrists.

But it wouldn't come to that anyway because Jay was a master at this point. He was only eleven and had already killed more than most of the pathetic rats on the Island. Not to mention the poison. They hadn't died, those eight he'd slipped vials to, but the torture they'd experienced had been achievement enough. He could easily take down one creep in an alleyway.

He grinned to himself, inching forward after the man as silently as shadow itself, blending easily against the mud stained brick and decreasing the distance between them with every step. The trick was to wait for them to move first; match their footsteps and don't let them know you were stalking them until the very end. Then let their fear get the better of them. Don't run, just walk, and strike once they'd exposed their soft throats and undersides.

The lessons his dad had drilled into him- the very ones he was teaching Maleficent's daughter- echoed through Jay's mind as he drew closer to his target. The man had stopped, his head high and eyes watchful and wide as he scanned the street beyond him. Jay bit his tongue hard to keep his laugh from spilling out. The bastard was as good as dead.

And then suddenly, unexplainably, Jay was in pain, his lungs threatening to turn inside out as his breath was stolen forcibly from his body.

A laugh shattered the dark, high and delirious with sadistic glee. The sound would have made Jay shiver, if his body wasn't already seizing with agony.

"Did Jafar really think he could kill me so easily?"

The man was little more than a dark blur in Jay's vision, but he grit his teeth and swung forward with his knife anyway, pain exploding behind his eyes at his attempt. The man scoffed, and a harsh, grating noise sounded before something thick and wet hit Jay's face.

 ** _"Ghaba'"_** the man spat. "Stupidity! Foolishness."

His voice softened slightly, and Jay almost choked on his next breath as his body scrambled to adjust to the renewal of air. The man's grip on him shifted, adjusted so his fingers fluttered along Jay's ribs.

"Foolish boy," he repeated, his voice low and thick with something Jay couldn't define but knew meant danger and death. "Shall we go pay a visit to your father?"

A visit to his dad was the last thing Jay wanted. Not like this…not with the man's head still firmly attached to his body. And while Jay was far from cowardly, he couldn't deny that the thought of facing his father now was enough to make him sick with fear.

It was like the man could sense it, too; Jay had suddenly been dethroned by Death. True Death, embodied in the form of the man before him.

"Don't worry fool boy," he crooned softly, his voice thickening with that dangerous thing, his hands slipping further along Jay's body.

"Pretty boy," he whispered, his smile wider than any Cat's. "I'm sure we can come to some kind of…arrangement."

Bile rose in Jay's throat, the fear seizing him so strongly he nearly doubled over. Somewhere among the deals with Death and bargains and the blood, he'd forgotten the most important part. And now it was coming back to screw him over. Both literally and figuratively.

* * *

To say that his father was displeased at the sight of Jay dangling before him with a sword at his throat would be an understatement. Somewhere along his forceful march back to the shop, the creep had pulled a sword, and took great pleasure at poking it into Jay's back and sides when he thought the boy was slowing down. Now it was against his throat, the edge of the blade applying just enough pressure that if Jay so much as swallowed wrong it would cut him.

"Dad," Jay whispered, his voice too high and too strained. Too weak. "Please. _Don't._ "

His father's eyes were dark with fury, his face carved from stone as he glared at Jay. He didn't need the hissed curse in Arabic to know he would receive no mercy from the man. And he didn't expect it, he really didn't. Didn't even want it; he'd take any punishment, any beating. He'd go without food for a month, even, and he'd take whatever new poisons his dad came up with and suffer gladly. Anything but….

"Please," Jay tried again, his voice barely a whimper as the man's fingers moved from gripping his shoulder to teasing the curls at the back of his neck.

"Please," Jay tried again, his voice barely a whimper as the man's fingers moved from gripping his shoulder to teasing the curls at the back of his neck.

"The way I see it, Jafar," the man said, his voice back to that sadistic glee. "You have two options…."

"Oh please," Jafar drawled, stopping just short of rolling his eyes. "Let's not start with that baseless drivel. Just kill the boy and be done with it."

It was like the sword had already slit him open and he was just flopping uselessly, choking on his own blood. Jay could barely get his mouth to work, and even then, he only managed a quiet sob, the sound tapering off abruptly as the sword pressed against his throat, opening a tiny cut.

"It would be such a shame," the man continued, unfazed by Jafar's apathy. "Such a young boy, and pretty. Would be a waste to end such a _useful_ life."

Jay didn't know whether to vomit or sob, and his body attempted to do both at once, resulting in another painful cut from the sword, and a sneered curse from his father.

"You'd be doing me a favor," Jafar all but spat. **" _Nadhil._** Bastard -costs more than he's worth even with the stealing."

"Dad," Jay choked out, and the small cut on his neck burned as the tears inevitably made their way down his face.

"But surely considering your debt, arrangements must still be made, yes?" The man hedged further, his fingers tapping patterns down Jay's spine. "And no bastard means no income, which means no _payment_ , and I can not have that. You understand, of course."

"Of course," Jafar grit out, his own finger curling into a tight fist. "And I'm certain you have something in mind so out with it, then."

Jay could practically feel the man's smile as he hovered over his shaking form, the blade lifting minutely as he spoke.

"It would be my _pleasure_ to null the debt, in exchange for your boy's **_khadamat_** …services, if you will."

Jafar's lip curled into a mocking impression of a laugh, though his eyes remained as dark as ever, full of unbridled disgust.

"You expect me to…what…whore my son out to you?" Jafar let out a sound that was somewhere between a bark and a laugh. "His blood would be of more use to me than anything you would leave behind afterwards."

And Jay didn't know whether to feel relieved by his father's adamancy, or further stricken, as the blade against his throat suddenly switched positions, and the man's free hand stopped wandering to once more grip his shoulder firmly.

"Is that your final decision, then?" The disappointment in the man's voice was hardly able to be heard over Jay's frantic heart, unfinished pleas and desperate tears all he's able to muster as he stared up at the man whose blood he was half of.

"As I said, he'd be better to me dead."

There's something undefined and heavy suddenly, in the darkness of his father's eyes. But before Jay could fully grasp for it, the man grunted, and the sword cut ruthlessly across his throat.

* * *

 **Carlos**

In all the time Carlos had known him, Jay was never one to be overwhelmed by his feelings, and the older boy definitely had strong feelings. But despite that, he always put forward an image of control, and Carlos had never known him to snap unpredictably like Mal or even Evie had been known to at times.

So to see Jay now, pacing and frantic and on the verge of what Carlos inherently _knows_ is panic, is more than just a little unsettling. The older boy is all but breaking down, his breath coming in harsh gasps and swears, as one hand clenches at his side and the other alternates between tugging at his long hair and rubbing anxiously at his chest.

"Jay?" Carlos whispers softly, fighting against his own rising anxiety. "Just…br-br-breathe, ok?"

"Ok?" Jay hisses, his eyes dark and wild as he shoots Carlos a glare. "No, it's not fucking ok, Carlos!"

Carlos winces at the ferocity, but he knows it's not really directed at him. He doesn't even know what to do, he'd always been on the receiving end of such things, never giving comfort like this.

"I…wh-at can I do?" Carlos tries, glancing around the empty tent and wishing the girls were here. But it was just him and Jay; Mal and Evie having gone to confront things directly before being pulled aside by Ben. Carlos almost wants to be there, too, even if it did mean facing the King again. Anything was better than this.

"There's nothing you can do," Jay snaps, drawing another too-short breath and grimacing. "Unless you know any tricks to make sure those two never come near us again."

A shiver goes through the older boy's body, and Carlos' fingers rapidly clip and unclip his dog tail from his belt.

"To think I was _this close_ ," Jay mutters. " _This close_ to…"

Carlos wants to say that it will be ok, that things were different now and that surely they were safe; that Auradon would never have allowed anything like that here…but the words stick in his throat. He doesn't know the whole story, but he'd heard enough to know that Jay especially, out of all of them, had more than valid reason for concern. And yet he still couldn't think of Aziz that way. Couldn't, and wouldn't…didn't want to think of what it could mean if it were true.

Jay freezes, suddenly, and Carlos straightens worriedly as the other boy's face twists with panic. He's all set to rush up to the other boy and offer whatever attempt he could, but then it passes, and Jay slumps weakly against a nearby table.

"Shit," he hisses, his eyes and jaw both clenched tightly shut. "Fucking shit."

"Jay?" Carlos chokes softly, but the other boy straightens just as suddenly as he's collapsed, smiling so broadly it was scary-far more terrifying than his verge of panic from earlier.

"I think I'm going to run that obstacle course a few times," Jay chirps out with a sly twitch of his lips. "Show those Auradon royals how it's done. You in?"

Carlos purses his lips, his brow furrowing sharply as he stares at the other boy. He decides that he doesn't like an out of control of his emotions Jay, but he wasn't about to watch him try and shove everything away through aggression. He'd done that once before and he still had nightmares about it.

He shakes his head, deciding to sign instead of trusting his voice to get things right. He signs; bringing his left hand up and tapping his middle and index fingers against his thumb, like a mouth closing; then pointing to himself before making a 'Y' shape; gesturing his hand forward slightly with his palm facing the ground.

[No. I'm staying.]

Jay's expression falters for all of two seconds before he shrugs it off with a laugh. "Suit yourself. Um…but be careful, ok?"

It's Carlos' turn to laugh, snorting softly, but nodding his head quickly. "Sssure thing," he murmurs.

Jay hesitates, looking like he wants to say or do something else, but then he stops, turning and walking abruptly out of the tent.

"You be c-careful too," Carlos whispers after him, frowning as he moves to stand in the opening of the tent, watching Jay stalk determinedly across the grounds.

Carlos doesn't have time to wallow in fear for more than a moment before a voice speaks up to his right, quiet and thoughtful.

"You know, it only just occurred to me that I haven't seen you wear anything but shorts. That's not just me, right?"

Carlos jumps, turning sharply, but it's only Jane, and he relaxes, letting the girl's words sink in a moment before laughing softly.

"N-n-no," he says slowly. "It's no-not just you."

"But seriously?" Jane asks, turning to him with a curious smile. "Have you ever worn pants?"

Carlos shakes his head, making a face. "Nnever. Even when I was little…and Cr-Cruella did try once, pu-put me in pants."

"Oh?" Jane murmurs, lifting a brow. "How'd that go?"

Carlos chuckles sheepishly, dropping his eyes to the grass. "I pulled them o-o-ff and refused to wwear anything in protest."

Jane giggles softly, but she tries to stifle it when Carlos shoots her a playful glare.

"I guess it's a good thing we decided not to enforce the uniforms rule on you, then," she says through a laugh, and Carlos snorts, rolling his eyes.

"Y-yeah, well, it's good I grew out of that wh-en I did, or else all the perverts w-w-w-would've had a ffield day," he chimes back, his lips twitching slyly.

Jane doesn't say anything for a moment, her face carefully blank as she glances out over the field. Carlos feels his own expression mimicking hers; instinctively raising his guard and bracing for her reaction.

"Perverts like Nikki and Aziz, you mean," she says, and her voice matches her face; low and tense.

Carlos flinches despite himself, his head snapping up to scan the grounds. But there's not threat, no other people around who weren't already absorbed in the party, and he looks up at Jane, his eyes narrowing defensively.

"What do you kn-n-now about it?"

He sounds too accusing, and a part of him cringes back, expecting pain for his behavior, but Jane still isn't looking at him, her voice still strangely blank.

"I know that you guys said and did some pretty hurtful things," she says slowly. "And I know they're both really upset about it."

"Th-they're upset?!" Carlos chokes out, incredulously.

"Yeah, they are," Jane says, finally looking up at him, startled surprise on her face and in her voice. "Did you think they wouldn't be? After all, you guys were friends. At least, Aziz thought you were."

Carlos grimaces sharply, shaking his head. He doesn't know what to feel; anger, disappointment, sorrow, fear. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't been enjoying Aziz's company; that having and forming that connection outside of the group had been exciting and everything Carlos had been secretly hoping for from coming to Auradon. But he can't help but feel betrayed, almost.

"I didn't think…they ssaid he had…b-b-but I didn't think…."

"That it was true?" Jane broaches carefully, and Carlos blinks hard, squirming uncomfortably.

"I don't know how things worked on the Isle," Jane continues after a moment. "But…."

"Y-you're right," Carlos interrupts jerkily, his voice hardening again. "You do-do-do-don't know."

"Ok, well then tell me," Jane counters, boldly meeting his eyes. "Because what you guys did is called discrimination. It's not good, and it's hurtful and wrong."

"Wh-what _we_ did?" Carlos manages, taking a step backwards so he can shuffle an anxious pace. "What about wwhat _they_ do? Jay was almost killed by one of them on the Isle wh-when he was eleven. N-nevermind that-that-that that's not the worst that happened."

He hears Jane take a breath to say something, and he's very much aware of the fact that he was slipping up worse now that he was worked up, but he doesn't care.

"And m-m-m-my knife didn't always ssstop them," he continues, blinking hard and trying to remember how breathing worked. "A-a-a-and…and…"

"Carlos," Jane interjects, and he stops abruptly, realizing just how close he'd been to another breakdown. "Take a breath," Jane continues, and though her voice is still firm, it had lost some of its edge from earlier.

He obeys, and only then notices that he's shaking. He fidgets with his dog tail, adjusting each link bit by bit, focusing on the black and white fur and the feel of the cool metal in his hands instead of the tight feeling in his chest.

"Ok," Jane says quietly. "Now can you look at me? Please?"

He doesn't want to; not because he doesn't trust her. Strangely enough, out of everything that had happened and everyone they'd encountered, Jane was the one person he felt he _could_ trust. But he doesn't trust himself; doesn't trust what emotion he might let slip if he holds her gaze for too long.

"Please," she says again, and Carlos bites the inside of his cheek before resolutely wiping his face, lifting his head slowly to meet her eyes.

She sighs quietly, and Carlos has to fight not to look away, to keep his feelings hidden and maintain the contact.

"I've never lied to you, right?" Jane asks. "I mean, I know we've only known each other a week and even then we've never really talk-talked, but…I haven't said or done anything that's not true or that got you hurt, right?"

"R-right," Carlos drawls slowly, and it occurs to him again that he doesn't even have to think about it; just feels and knows that it's true- that it's right.

Jane smiles just a little, further encouraging his thoughts. "Ok, so when I say…that there's nothing _wrong_ about Nikki or Aziz…."

Carlos shakes his head, biting his lip nervously. He knows what she's trying to say, but there's no way he was going to believe it. She frowns, and he hates the disappointed look she gives him. But there's no way around this…he wasn't going to budge for this.

"Things are different here," she tries, and Carlos shrugs a shoulder, looking away.

"No-not that different," he mutters quickly.

"You guys didn't have a problem with Aziz before," Jane argues. "If you had never known that he liked other guys, would you still be friends with him?"

"W-we-we weren't even friends," Carlos tries to counter, but she glares at him pointedly, and he looks away again. "Maybe."

"But does knowing now change how you think of him?" Jane continues, and Carlos frowns, furrowing his eyebrows at the ground. "By that I mean, ignoring what you think you know from the Isle…thinking about Aziz…does what you know change anything about who he is to you?"

And Carlos tries to think, to match up the different things in his head that would prove that he was in the right about this. But he can't reconcile the facts in his head because they _didn't_ match. And he doesn't like the feeling inside now…that nagging sense of negativity.

"Think of it this way, too," Jane says, seeming to read his thoughts. "If…um, say just as an example, ok? But if I liked girls, would that change the way you think of me? Would that make me bad?"

Carlos starts, looking up at her sharply. "Wh-what?"

"Just as an example," Jane replies quickly, shaking her head. "But also, you could even say that…what you guys did to Nikki and Aziz is no different from anyone else saying that just because you're the child of a villain, you're inherently evil or something like that."

Carlos wants to argue back, and even opens his mouth to do so, but the words stick in his throat so all he can really manage is a weak splutter. He tries to sign, but even then his hands blur through them too much, too fast, and Jane frowns at him, her brow furrowing in something that Carlos thinks might be pity, but feels more like concern.

"Hurt?" She repeats his sign, and he can hear that weird concern in her voice. "Who…do you mean…Aziz and Nikki?"

He bites his lip and squirms uncomfortably, trying to find the right words and failing. He can only shrug a shoulder and nod, and he winces at the look Jane gives him; all stern and sad and disappointed. He doesn't know why he cares so much about what she thinks of him, but he does. He cares how she sees him, and he hates it, but…

"I know you think that…but it's not true," she says, and her voice is soft but no less effective. "I...I thought there was more to you than just 'the son of Cruella de Vil,' that maybe you were beginning to see it too."

Carlos doesn't know what to say to that, even if his voice wouldn't have betrayed him. He tries to reach out to her anyway, to defend himself, or apologize or… _something_ to make her understand. Jane pauses her retreat, glancing up at him and offering him one last sorrowful smile.

"We're not the bad guys, here, Carlos. Just…try to remember that, ok?"

And then she was gone, leaving Carlos with nothing more than a wave and a strange, empty feeling. The one person in all of Auradon who had actually seen him; looked past his stutter and his reputation and his…villainy- and actually seen Carlos was gone. The banner on the tent wall flapped sharply at him, the blue and yellow rippling and twisting the cheerful message. 'Congratulations!' the words mocked. In one week he had managed to successfully screw up every opportunity that had been given to him.

And he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get any of it back.


	19. Don't threaten me with a good time

**H-hey guys! Lovely bit of hiatus we're having, huh? *clears throat nervously***

 **I'm so sorry, please don't be pissed! I swear I didn't mean to disappear for so long, um, things got a bit crazy and my life was literally A Series of Unfortunate Events for a week, and then had a little bit of a mental spiral from said unfortunate events and, uh…yeah….**

 **But hey I stayed up till 1 am to finish this chapter for you so that should prove my dedication if nothing else! I'm back and I'm here to stay, I promise, no need to worry. Except of course, if you're worrying about what new evils I've inflicted on my helpless characters. Then you should definitely worry! *insert maniacal cackling here***

 **Anyway on to my reviews!**

 **(Also please guys, please do not skip my Author's Notes! I have some important warnings for this chapter that I don't want anyone missing by mistake.)**

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 **Shots and Giggles: I love chapter titles, too, lol. They definitely are fun clues for the drama about to go down, and this one especially is no exception. Bit of a double meaning for you, too, so bonus points if you can crack it. ;)**

 **Literally just, everything you said about Disney and KH, like yassssss! Haha, but seriously, some day I'm going to write for Disney and I'll be that one writer who slaps everyone else when they want to start creating these static-y characters. Like seriously, they aren't just 'characters' to manipulate, they are people! Write them like people!**

 **Rant aside, I'm really glad you think I've been doing good so far balancing it out. As much as I rant, IRL I don't always 'get' people so I always worry if I'm portraying them 'real enough' lol. Definitely a good bit of grey here, which you know, is kind of the point I, and Descendants, am attempting to make in that it's not always so black/white. And I agree, it's never the VKs who are the villains in their own stories with fanfiction, always the AKs. And I'm like, sure ok, there are some jerks and rude people in Auradon too, but come on; these are the literal children of _Villains_! They're gonna be villainous! :)**

 **And if you liked that, I've got plenty more badass Lonnie in here for you. Thank you Descendants 2 for confirming my head canon that Lonnie is an expert on swords and just epicness in general!**

 **And I appreciate your understanding, really really do! Was kicking myself a bit thinking how dramatic or whatever it might have sounded, but it's a bit of a relief off my chest that I got it out there and that I have a little more room to maneuver and fill things in at a decent pace.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think! :)**

 **starflight34: Starflight your words touched me more than you will ever know! Believe me I am far from offended; it was exactly the reminder I was needing so thank you for the encouragement and the prayers! :)**

 **In regards to the story, don't worry, there will still be a ton of the usual fun times in Auradon, but I thought it was important to include the not so good times too. But there will be a recovering sort of friendship between Aziz and the VKs. They weren't close friends, per se, but there was definitely a connection that is now frayed that needs repairing so. Expect some of that in the near future.**

 **Thank you again so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **GenderqueerWriter: Haha, yes, so much angst! You nailed it exactly with the VKs, though I'm also exploring the other layers of it as well. But yes, that it what I was hinting at there.**

 **And thank you, I will definitely take you up on that offer if you don't mind. :) I am doing good, but it would be nice to talk some time.**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

 **Kitty Kat Vixen: I know exactly what you mean with that line, lol. And thank you, I'm glad you think I'm doing good balancing it all out. This chapter deals with some of that aftermath so it's still a bit heavy, but we do get some more lighthearted moments towards the end, so there's that.**

 **And thank you, too for your thoughts and politeness. It's a bit of a relief to know that people can still be polite with each other even if they don't agree. ;)**

 **Also that's so exciting about your puppy! Congratulations!**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think. (And more about your newest member, lol)**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if it was a bit darker. Don't worry, they will get there, it will just be a bit of a process. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Excellentsunny101: Hi, welcome to the story and thank you for the review! I am doing significantly better than before, I appreciate the concern. :) As for Jane, she was a little bit insensitive, but she was of the belief that the VKs were being the insensitive ones, and she's upset too because she was confronted with the fact that she'd invested herself into Carlos on the hope that he was good despite being a VK. So now she's disappointed and a little angry, so that's why she was being harsh.**

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **Gracfully: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked it and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Alex: Well if I told you that, it'd spoil the reveals, haha. Um, but in all seriousness, I intentionally left things a bit vague both for safety's sake, and then also just to drop a little bit more of a clue/hint as to what happened. I will be revealing things in full later on, but for now, I'm just slowly building up to it and trying not to let it all out at once. But to answer your question in regards to my Jay flashback; no, Jay was not raped, but there was definitely molestation/sexual assault going on, so...yeah. Not good stuff. F-ed up stuff regardless of specifics.**

 **But I'll try not be as vague in the future and make it a little clearer to understand. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy, and please, if you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask!**

 **Carmine De Vil : Yeah, definitely ouch. They will make up for sure, but it will take some time and a lot of explanations and of course, angst, lol. And in regards to the plot hole, I realized that as well while writing and did edit it to clear up some of the confusion, but I'll go more into detail in future chapters to explain the thought process behind that. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you'll like this one just as much. :)**

 **Tiredandlazy ; Haha, you kidding? It took me a whole month to update so I'd say you have no worries of judgement from me! I was just happy to get your review, as always. Doesn't matter the time or place. ;)**

 **Also yes! Thank you, omgosh yes! You are the only person who caught that and I love you for it so much like yes, someone was paying attention in class, lol. Yes, Antoine is Chad's cousin, the very same Antoine who cut Carlos up over the scarf in the flashback. Seriously that was so satisfying to hear that you caught that, ugh!**

 **Ok, drama aside (but not really lol) Aziz talked about both of them, and yes, definitely Jay because they had that bond/connection, but he latched on to Carlos specifically in an older brother/little brother kind of way. So he talked a little more about Carlos because he felt that way, but then also for certain foreshadowy reasons I'm not getting into here. ;)**

 **And I'm glad you like Nikhil so much, even if I haven't showcased him enough. Don't worry, he will be there, and a lot more now that I know people like him. I was doling him out in pieces to get a feel for it, but he will definitely be in it more, and there will be reconciliation, but it will take a bit of time. And angst.**

 **And I know, I'm sorry! I am entirely cruel and heartless to do that to a child, and especially the way I did it with Jay. I don't know why I do the things I do, I just write what my evil little muse tells me and half the time I look back on it and think, 'did I really write that?' And as always, things will get worse before it gets better, but don't worry, this chapter isn't so bad…*thinks a second and remembers just what my muse told me to do this time* Haha, sort of.**

 **I love your word vomit reviews, lol. They give me life, and an excuse to rant and splutter too. ;) And thank you, I know exactly what you mean and I'm so happy I make you so excited over a simple story. I hope you'll enjoy this madness I came up with this time and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **Kry Chi: Hey, I don't know if anyone cleared that up for you, but when Carlos was arguing with Jane, he said 'They/Them' in regards to people on the Isle who are like Aziz and Nikki in terms of same-sex relationships. (ie. Gay and lgbt) Of course, there is a huge difference between what happens/happened on the Isle and Auradon, but Carlos doesn't know that yet.**

 **Sorry for the confusion! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Thank you for the supportive comments, I really appreciate it! For the moment, talking with my mom about my sexuality is not an option, but hopefully someday. :)**

 **I'm pretty sure I know which grammar mistake you meant, and I did go back and fix the mistakes in the chapter, so that could be why you couldn't find it. ;) As for the VKs, let's just say that someone will definitely be confronted with anger, but it won't necessarily be them that does the confronting… And good eye for catching that subtle shipping I was doing with Audrey and Chad, lol. Was definitely laying some groundwork there, and there's a little more foreshadowing with relationships here too so I hope you enjoy that as well.**

 **And you are correct, that it how you spell Nikhil, and Aziz and close friends call him Nikki for short. And don't apologize, I love long and random reviews, lol. I was surprised when I saw how many channels it was airing on, too, I thought it was really neat.**

 **(Did I watch Victorious?! That show was the highlight of TeenNick of course I watched it! You know it's a good show when your mom tells you to turn it on so the family can watch it together, lol. ;))**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **BerserkBookWorm: I laughed out loud a bit at your comment about Mal. You kind of hit the nail on the head there, which was what made me chuckle; she _is_ obsessive about the wand and very much a brainwashed child who only wants her mother's approval. It's only once she starts getting into the Auradon spirit of things that she realizes that it's not what she wants anymore. And the same goes for the VKs and Aziz/Nikki; which you also picked up on really well. ;)**

 **And thank you so much for the kind words. I hardly think I'm worth admiring, lol, but thank you. It means a lot all the same. :) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Kameron the God of Fairytales: It's good to hear from you again! Glad you're all caught up, and that you're enjoying my characters. I thought Chad and Audrey got enough hate from the fandom, so I decided to do something different and try and get into them as people. Good to hear I'm succeeding so far, lol. ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!**

 **Jewelz1642: Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you've been enjoying everything so much, especially the ASL. I wasn't sure at first if it would be successful or come across the way I want it to, but so far it's been pretty good. :) And don't worry, the Ben and Mal ship is just letting the sails down, haha. Though it will be a bit of a twist to the pairing…*rubs hands together and chuckles evilly***

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **O: Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! It was your review that helped motivate me to pull a partial all nighter and finish this chapter, haha. I thought, if someone who is only finding this story thinks I've abandoned it, then we have a problem. So thank you especially for that, lol. ;) And I'll consider it a good sign that I was able to make you emotional, haha. Means I'm doing something right.**

 **I hope you'll keep reading and I look forward to hearing what you think.**

 **WOAHTHERE: Hi, welcome to the story and thank for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Forever- Furuba: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much. And yes, there definitely needed to be more voices against the Isle in the movie, and I thought who better for my story in this case than Aladdin? So he got a little rant in and I got to vent through him, lol. Things are definitely getting more intense and dramatic, especially this chapter. I had fun writing the drama in this one, and I hope you will enjoy it too. :)**

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 **Ok guys, Author's Notes time!**

 **Author's Note 1:**

 **First note is a brief bit of fangirling for Descendants 2. Oh. My. Gosh guys! It was amazing, I'm obsessed, I loved it all so much and just I can't! Where do I start? There was so much shipping happening while I watched, not gonna lie. Like there was a little something for everyone. But Harry and Uma are my new OTP and I actually included some Descendants 2 backstory in this chapter. ;)**

 **Also was really surprised by Lady Tremaine running a hair salon, but it kind of makes sense considering how obsessed she was about looks. Had to laugh out loud though because when creating my headcanon for this story and in general about how the VKs dyed their hair, I literally thought to myself 'it has to be magic, no other explanation for it. Unless someone runs a salon on the Isle, but like, yeah right! Who would even run the salon?' And then I watched Decendants 2 and was like, well shit, there's go that.**

 **But like, thank you Descendants 2 for destroying all of my headcanons while simultaneously creating new and awesome ones. Also that final scene? That amazing and beautiful dance number on the yacht with the water? Literally, I was tearing up from how amazing it was, like can we talk goals?**

 **Brief question for you guys, though. Did any of you see Aziz in Descendants 2? Cuz they said that he was cast to be in it, but then I never saw him or heard him mentioned at all? Was that just me?**

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 **Author's Note 2: ***Important One!*****

 **Ok, fangirling aside, this is the warnings note for you. The usual, language, crude jokes/humor, violence and mentions of child abuse and neglect as well as references to homophobia and anxiety attacks/past abuse.**

 *****Potential triggers*** I included a brief flashback in this story that hints at some things that might disturb/trigger some readers. I left it purposefully vague, but the implication of assault is still there, so if you think it might upset you, feel free to skip the section of text that is _italicized like this!_**

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 **Anyway enough from me! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think! I threw a little Easter egg in there in honor of Descendants 2 so enjoy and don't forget to review!**

 **-Raven**

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 **Ben**

When Audrey had told him that Chad wasn't going to make it to the party, Ben couldn't help but feel relieved. And then of course, instantly guilty, which was only worsened when Audrey told him what had happened when she'd found him on the Tourney field. Despite everything, Chad was still his friend, and he hated the idea of him struggling so much.

But still, the relief was there, because even with a vaguely remorseful Chad, he did not need anything that would have even a remote chance of ruining this event. His parents were already skeptical of his decisions, and the villain kids themselves; the last thing he needed was anyone being provoked into anything, well…evil.

Which is why when Aziz and Nikki come storming back from the direction of the VKs, both looking sick and also emotionally traumatized in turns, he can't help but groan quietly. Audrey glances up at him questioningly, but his worry is only increased when Jane follows not too far after them, the younger girl looking somewhere between disappointed and frustrated.

"Why do I have a bad feeling?" Ben sighs, and he can feel Audrey's grip tighten slightly around his hand.

"Should I see what's up with them?" She offers, but he bites his lip, sheepishly shaking his head.

"I could…really use you," he admits softly, squeezing her hand in return. "I know it's stupid to be this afraid. It's just…."

"Babe," Audrey interrupts. "I get it."

She leans into him reassuringly, and Ben sighs, with relief this time. She really did get it- get him, and he loves that about her; and how quick she is to provide whatever is needed. He turns as his parents stride up the lawn towards them, a guard hovering for a moment before he's playfully shooed away by the Queen.

"Ben," his mother greets, and he folds himself easily into her embrace, his smile a little more relaxed. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Mom," he replies sincerely.

He straightens, and turns to greet his father, who clasps him firmly, but no less warmly on the shoulder.

"I'm relieved to see that things seem to be going well," his Dad says, and Ben chuckles a bit, ducking his head to hide his embarrassed flush.

It was as close to a 'good job' that he was going to get, but it was also the first genuine bit of enthusiasm and pride he'd heard from his dad about his decree so far. He wasn't about to let this moment go to waste.

"I'm really glad you guys could make it," Ben says, smiling back up at his parents. "The VKs really have made a lot of progress."

"Minus the earlier calamities, of course," his Dad adds, but there's a hint of something light in his eyes, and Ben sighs, relaxing even further as he realizes the lack of ill will.

"Yeah, well, I think they just got here so you should be able to properly meet them soon," he says, turning to start a brief tour of the gardens and what they'd set up.

Lonnie jogs up, breathless and laughing, her hair out of its earlier comb and falling messily down her back.

"Ok, I officially _dominated_ that course!" She says between gasps. "But Jay is certainly trying his best. I almost feel bad I decided not to hold back."

"Lonnie," Audrey deadpans with a grimace. "Why."

Lonnie pulls a face at her, sticking out her tongue. "Not all of us have to be stereotypical princess archetypes, Audrey," she retorts. "I can still be a badass and rule a kingdom."

Audrey looks pained, while Ben shares an amused and exasperated look with his mother.

"Yes," Audrey says politely, and Ben can tell it's killing her to be so restrained. "But it wouldn't hurt to maybe be a little more…feminine while you do it."

Lonnie's expression turns dangerous, and Ben has to resist the urge to back away from his girlfriend.

"I don't have to conform to your standards," Lonnie says hotly. "My femininity is defined by _me_."

Audrey closes her eyes. Breathes. Opens her eyes again. Ben (wisely) takes that half step back.

"But would it kill you to…."

"Ok," Doug steps forward, bravely in Ben's opinion, cutting off Audrey's impending rant. (And demise.) "Let's not start that argument up again. Lonnie, I think it's awesome that you're so non-conforming and badass…Audrey," Doug fixes her with a look. "Remember that she knows how to use a sword."

Ben silently congratulates Doug on his guts, while Lonnie smirks triumphantly.

"Thank you, Doug," she says, making another teasing face at Audrey, who feigns offence for all of two seconds before resigning herself.

"Yes, thank you," Ben hears his Dad says as he bends to give Audrey a quick, comforting kiss. "We wouldn't want a repeat of last Thanksgiving now, would we?"

Audrey lets out a quiet noise of protest, while Lonnie looks away, reddening slightly.

"It was one time!" Audrey cries, and Lonnie's lips twitch.

"I mean, to be fair, I overreacted a bit…" the other girl mutters.

"A bit?" Ben repeats lowly, lifting a brow.

"Don't you start," Lonnie warns, but she's laughing again and ruins the effect.

"Ooh, look, happy people! I guess that's our cue."

Ben blinks at the darkly sarcastic voice, though honestly he shouldn't have been as caught off guard as he was by Mal and Evie's arrival. Mal bore a sinister smirk and an all too dangerous gleam in her eyes, while Evie looked like she was trying not to laugh at the other girl's words.

"You guys did make it." It's Audrey who recovers first, smiling even if uneasily. "That's great! We didn't know if…."

"If we'd actually show up?" Evie finishes, and Ben purses his lips at the challenging look in her eyes.

"Well considering that it's the first party of any kind that I've been invited to, I wasn't about to pass that up," Mal drawls. "Though I have to admit, I'm almost disappointed by the lack of a trap."

Ben's dad chooses that moment to pointedly clear his throat- and while the sarcasm and air of impending gory demise hadn't been enjoyable; he'd prefer to see _that_ over the sudden stillness that settles over both girls at the realization of the King's presence.

"Um, well," Ben stammers nervously, his eyes flickering back and forth between them. "You guys have already kind of met, but uh…Mal, Evie, these are my parents; King Beast and Queen Belle. Mom, Dad, you remember the girls."

"Well I should hope so," his dad rumbles slowly. "Or I'd have to seriously start worrying about my age."

Ben's chuckle is more like a sigh of relief, as Mal snorts slightly with a roll of her eyes, and Evie's lips twitch in a cautious smile.

"If my mother has taught me anything," Mal mutters sardonically. "It's that you hero types tend to err on the 'happily ever after' side of things so," she shrugs a shoulder. "I'd say you've got nothing to worry about."

Ben winces slightly at the mention of Maleficent, squeezing Audrey's hand a little tighter as he feels her flinch. His parents shift uncomfortably, and Mal looks more than slightly pleased with herself.

"Where, uh…where's the other half of your quartet?" His dad asks, forcing a lighter tone now. "Or do I not want to know?"

Mal frowns, and Ben thinks it might look thoughtful if it weren't for the way her eyes seemed to narrow slowly as she took in his Dad's expression.

"Jay's probably running himself sick on whatever it is at the…tourney…field," she drawls slowly. "And Carlos…well he's probably with Jay."

"And if he's not?"

Mal's eyes narrow further, and Ben can't interpret her expression; can't decide if this is something he needs to be concerned about.

"We try not to worry too much," she finally says. "Unless there's smoke or a sudden explosion."

"I'm sorry?" Ben's mom exclaims, while his dad's expression clouds over dangerously.

"Explosions?!" He repeats sharply, and Evie bites her lip, her body tensing, while Mal stiffens, shifting her so subtly that Ben almost misses the movement. But he doesn't miss the effect the slight change of position had; Mal was now effectively in focus, her body angled just so, as if to hide the other girl from his dad's sight.

Ben feels his stomach clench painfully, suddenly all too aware of the realities of the situation. He had taken the VKs from a life full of who knows what kind of horrible things, and somehow expected them to be able to adapt right away to Auradon society. They might have been doing well enough, but now that the actual consequences of such a situation were being revealed to him, Ben was starting to see just what that might do to someone.

Namely, this; the hyper-vigilance in Evie's posture despite her downcast eyes. The way Mal's face seems to twitch with something wild and feral; a fear and a danger glinting in her eyes, her hands shaking as light sparked at her fingertips. Ben licks his lips nervously, wanting to move forward or say something to break through the volatile atmosphere, but he was afraid that any wrong move on his part would be treated as a threat…and he'd seen how the VKs responded to threats.

His Dad was equally paralyzed, a stunned look crossing his face while his Mom glances to Ben, a clear desperate _something_ in her eyes; and Ben fights to keep his expression neutral and calm. He was going to have to act soon- his Dad had lost that stunned look and was turning stern again, his lips parting like he might scold or yell or lecture…. It didn't matter what, only that Ben was going to have to stop it, before things got worse.

Evie had tensed even further, Mal's expression shifting sharply into danger now, the fear gone and replaced with the look of someone ready to fight. The sparks at the edge of her fingers snap sharply before igniting: a small green flame now dancing seemingly innocuous across her skin.

"Ben," Audrey hisses, her voice almost a whimper in his ear.

 _I know_ , he wants to whisper back. _I know, just give me a second…_

But he didn't have a second.

"Now, let me make something clear, here," his Dad began slowly, and Ben could see Mal's jaw clench tightly, the green flame wavering before starting up again just a bit brighter, Evie flinching behind her.

"Dad," Ben cuts in quickly, stepping towards him and making sure to keep his hands open and angled towards the ground, hoping that the obvious display of how weak and weaponless he was would help keep the girls calm.

"I think it was just a joke," he continues. "Nothing's going to explode."

"Joke or not, this is exactly what I meant!" his Dad exclaims, gesturing sharply towards the two girls. "The disruptive attitude; the…the _carelessness_ with which they make these threats! They're dangerous, Ben!"

"Adam!" his Mom gasps, reaching for his arm as though to tug him back.

Ben just gapes, unable to comprehend the sudden shift in his Dad's support. A moment ago he'd said…he was hopeful and optimistic. Except he hadn't been, now that's he's staring at the furious scowl twisting his Dad's face. He hadn't been positive about this in any way, not since Ben's initial pitch about bringing children from the Isle. He shouldn't have been surprised…shouldn't have felt hurt by the rejection. But he did.

He could feel his lips forming words, but it was Mal who stalked forward, her own expression fierce and just as furious, her hands clenching into fists and causing the flame to dance up and around to skitter across the backs of her hands.

"No more dangerous than those who would put the lives of children in danger just because of some fucked up sense of right and wrong."

Mal's voice shakes, but it's anger and not fear that controls her now, her eyes flashing as she boldly lifts her chin to glare into his Dad's eyes.

"You can't hide from it now, can you, King Beast?" Her words are venom, her voice just as snapping and intense as the flame in her hands. "Not now that there's actual _villains_ in Auradon; not now when you're faced with the very nightmares you fought to control."

Ben fears his Dad might snap and completely lose control of himself: his face was flushed with anger, a low, displeased and furious sound building in his chest. He'd only ever seen his Dad this angry once before…when he'd been arguing for the removal of the Villains and the ban on all magic in Auradon afterwards.

He exchanges an anxious look with his mother, but she's just as paralyzed- too shocked to do more than stare in bewilderment at his father.

"Are you implying some sort of threat?" His Dad's voice is low, almost a growl, and while Evie pales and rapidly takes a step back, Mal straightens further, something sharp and entirely thrilling in her eyes that has Ben sucking in a breath.

"I never threaten," Mal says calmly, her lips twitching while the flame twists insidiously around her fingers. "Only promise. You might have the rest of Auradon fooled into thinking you're a benevolent ruler, but we on the Isle know that you're still just a _beast_."

There's a harsh beat of silence, and then:

"Daaamn," someone whispers hoarsely behind Ben, and he finds himself thinking the same.

Even as his father shifts his weight forward; even as Evie flinches back and Mal's lip curls, her mouth forming some unknown word; even as Audrey screams and his mother cries out in shock; Ben feels an inexplicable tug- a sharp thrill of butterflies as he stares at the other girl. The girl somehow full of fear and yet entirely unabashed, bold beyond daring and scathing as she confronts his father head on. The girl who had, in that moment, pulled him into something wild and dangerous and distinctly **not-good**.

The girl with the purple hair.

Except, it's not quite purple now, Ben realizes with a start. The flames had licked up her arm, caressing her skin without burning; hot and bright and a brilliant green that lights up her eyes and seems to almost whisper in her ear as it settles and curls into the tips of her hair.

Distantly, Ben feels Audrey tugging at his arm, her voice a high desperate sob in the back of his mind. He knows he should be afraid; terrified in fact. There's something deadly in Mal's smile; pointed and lethal in her gaze as her lips form another word that he can't recognize. That gaze that's fixed on...his… _his Dad!_

It hits him hard, like a physical blow, and Ben heaves a ragged and desperate gasp as he realizes the true danger they're in right now. He lets out a cry that tapers off too soon; a warning, or a plea, he doesn't know. Only that it makes Mal pause, ever so slightly, her green eyes flickering to him and penetrating deep. Ben feels it; the soft whisper of heat and pain and… _magic_ …in his mind. It pulls at him, tugs him closer, before ripping away sharply, Mal's eyes hardening before fading into a much more normal pale green.

The magic still burns, almost as an afterthought in his mind, before also fading, and Ben blinks, watching in horror…or was it awe? -as the fire that had been threatening to strike at his father rapidly retreats and turns on its source. Mal bites her lip, and he can see the way her eyes pinch tightly closed, her brow furrowing deeply in concentration as the fire is slowly drawn back, not so much extinguishing as withdrawing back inside her.

It's only once the flames have completely disappeared that Ben dares to allow himself to breathe, and only when he breathes does he realize just how hard he's shaking, and just how close he'd come to being short one parent. He starts to stagger forward, but a tight grip around his wrist stops him, and he glances back to see Audrey, face pale and eyes wide with terror, tears streaming in clear rivulets across her cheeks.

"Hey," he whispers, instinct taking over as he draws her closer to him, embracing without completely engulfing her. "Hey, it's ok. It's over…."

" _Over!_?" she repeats, her voice high and shaky, completely opposite of the sudden stern twist of her expression.

Ben opens his mouth to try and comfort her further, but then he catches movement, and lifts his eyes to see Doug vehemently shaking his head, the other boy gesturing with a nod to something over Ben's shoulder. He can see Lonnie, just beside Doug, tense and wary but not completely traumatized like Audrey. The other girl purses her lips and mimics Doug's gestures; her dark eyes flickering pointedly behind Ben.

It's not until he hears a sharp gasp from his mother, and a short, panicked cry of "Mal!" from Evie that he spins on his heel to see that the green flames had returned, almost entirely covering Mal from head to toe. The girl seemed even shorter with the way the fire radiates and roars, flickering and twisting around her form. Mal stares at her hands in what Ben thinks might be surprise, or else a smug pleasure, before she suddenly stiffens, her back arching as her chin snaps up sharply.

Ben feels that violent tug again; a desperate sort of ' _do something_!' echoing inside him. Evie is screaming Mal's name again, while his Dad had taken to shielding his Mom, his eyes screwed up tight against the heat and a furious scowl twisting his expression. Audrey is practically breathless with the force of her sobs, and Ben knows he should be doing what his father is and protecting her, but he's too entranced by the sight before him.

Mal's lips part, a sort of pained wonder sliding across her face.

"Oh," Ben hears her whisper, her voice ragged and shaking ever so slightly. "So she was right about that after all. The bitch."

And then her eyes roll up, a violent **_crack_** sounding as the flames suddenly die, and Ben has all of two seconds to jerk free of Audrey's death grip and sprint forward before Mal collapses, lifeless, into his arms.

* * *

 **Chad**

The walk back to his room from the Tourney field was simultaneously the shortest, and the longest. He couldn't stop replaying everything in his head; his talk with his parents mostly. But also…Audrey.

The smallest of thrills went through his stomach as he thought of the way she'd hugged him. It had been brief- platonic, of course. But in the moment, and after he'd been so…open with her…he couldn't help but relax into it more than he probably should have. The flush that had colored his face as he'd pulled away and spouted some excuse was definitely not just the heat and exhaustion from his workout.

Sure, he liked Audrey. As a close friend- almost family. And never anything more than that, no matter what stupid crushes or feelings were felt when they were kids. And especially not once Ben came along. He'd been resigned to just hover and be awkward and 'Charming' again, except Ben had ruined that for him, too: pulling him into an easy friendship that just as quickly became that sibling-like bond that Chad had longed for since he was ten and his father had explained to him that he would be the only heir and thus, the only child.

Ben made it hard to hate; harder to try and be numb all the time. The kid had been so happy and overly optimistic; and Audrey had been there too, just as sunny if not quite so forceful. Calm and level headed, she smoothed out all those prickly parts of Chad, able to see _him_ no matter what shields he tried to throw up. It had been because of the two of them that Chad slowly lost his 'instability' and actually became 'charming,' and he'd thought he might actually have a chance to make something more of his relationship with Audrey.

Except Ben got there first. And the rest was, well…the rest.

Chad grit his jaw and grumbled a curse between his teeth, causing a few students nearby to glance out of the corner of their eyes before skittering quickly out of his way. He knew what they were probably thinking; what they saw: A sweating, riled up Chad, glaring and cursing to himself (most likely about the VKs.) And of course there'd be those who took it just that one step further; that his temper was so typical of a Charming; that talking to yourself was the first sign of madness and that, well, maybe he takes after his mother after all, I mean, they're both so… _unstable_.

He felt itchy and raw under the scrutiny, so his relief was almost physical when he finally reached his dorm room, the door practically shaking in the frame he slammed it so hard. He stays there a moment, panting with his palms against the wood and trying to bite down the sobs that they were threatening to turn into.

Just when he thinks it's safe to back away and decompress, a voice rings out behind him; low and decidedly unimpressed.

"Hey, do me a favor and slam that again. I don't think they quite heard you all the way on the other side of the dorm."

Chad turns, surprised to see his roommate sprawled across his bed, a cigarette clenched tightly between his lips and half muffling his words.

"Aziz?" Chad asks, furrowing his brow and straightening from his wary hunch by the door. "What are…? I thought you'd be at…the thing."

He can't call it a party again. He won't give in like that and say that there's anything worth celebrating here because there _wasn't._

Aziz gives a shrug- as much as he can with one arm tucked behind his head- his eyes fixed blankly on the ceiling.

"I was."

Chad watches as the other boy takes a slow drag from the cigarette; the smoke escaping his lips in a tight, compressed hiss, and he has to resist the urge the groan out loud. All he'd really wanted to do was come back to his dorm, take a scalding hot shower and then maybe play video games for a few mind numbing hours before dinner and just forget that other people even existed.

Instead, he now has to deal with extremely pissed, potentially depressed roommate, who, now that Chad was really thinking about it, was in fact _here_ , and not being pissed and moody with the one person who would probably actually care.

"Shit…something happened, didn't it?"

Chad's voice comes out more groan-y than he'd like, but it's a sympathetic groan, an empathetic screwing up of his face as he takes a half step forward. Aziz doesn't respond this time, just clenches his jaw tighter around the cigarette, a noncommittal hum echoing in his throat.

'I don't know,' that hum said. 'Might have, but whatever.'

Chad knows that hum very well. He'd practically perfected the art of noncommittal humming. He could fill a book with all the variating inflections and their meanings, and just how to respond to each one in an equal variety of ways. And so he knows that the last thing Aziz wants to hear is 'do you want to talk about it?'

Instead he abandons his plans for a shower and kicks off his shoes, tugging his jersey over his head in favor of the simple blue tee underneath. He contemplates for a moment, wondering just how delicate he needed to be here. Deciding that now was not the time to initiate any sort of comforting contact, he flops down unceremoniously in the grayish blue beanbag by the TV and tugs himself forward until he can reach his book bag.

Contrary to popular belief, Chad did in fact, do homework. Being a Prince, and sole heir meant that he'd had an extensive regiment of tutors from the moment he'd first said 'Dada.' Of course, the tutors stopped coming after several of his mother's… 'fits,' and it had been up to Chad to figure out learning from what they'd left behind and an occasional helpful prod from his father. Aurdaon Prep's workload was not by any means horrendous, but it was more than difficult enough that Chad was not so much 'being challenged' but tortured.

Eventually he gave up on trying to interpret the weekly chemical 'puzzle' Mr. Deley had assigned, and chucked his bag across the room.

"Hey," he calls back over his shoulder to his roommate, who had remained entirely impassive during Chad's attempt at studying. "You got another one of those?"

He didn't smoke as often as Aziz did, but every now and then it was nice to just float for a bit and not think. He hears a slight shuffle of movement, and then a high, short sigh of frustration coupled with another sharp shuffle before silence fell. Chad shifted his weight enough to turn his head, and saw Aziz with his free hand now pointing towards the bookshelf, a bitter twist of his lips indicating his displeasure.

Chad groans exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes and huffing his own sigh. "Really?" he mutters as he makes a big show of hefting himself to his feet. "You're actually going to make me _get up_ and _get something for myself_?"

Aziz's hand effortlessly shifts to flip him off, and Chad stifles a snort of amusement as he shuffles lazily towards the shelf in question. He finds the box tucked inside the binding of a book, a dedication of some kind scrawled in what he assumes is Arabic. The cigarette box is crumpled and suspiciously light, and Chad frowns, letting out his own frustrated huff as a lift of the lid reveals the affirmation.

"The fuck man...it's empty," Chad snaps, letting the snark come through in hopes of keeping with familiarity. "What happened to all the rest?"

There's a sharp intake of breath behind him, before suddenly dissolving into the quiet, unmistakable sucking sound of muffled sobs.

Chad turns sharply on his heel, entirely thrown, to find Aziz with both hands pressed tightly over his face, his teeth practically biting his cigarette in half as his whole body shakes, a quiet squeal of protest coming from the bedframe underneath him.

And…Chad was officially out of his depth. He didn't 'do' crying. Crying was for when you lost control of your emotions so much that nothing else was left except tears. Crying meant pain; meant whispered screams and whimpers in the dark; meant long nights and tired looks, empty words and hollow eyes.

"It's fucking bullshit," Aziz rasps, tugging Chad away from the dark vein his thoughts had turned to. "Just bullshit."

Chad swallows, biting back the reflex of shared pain that threatens in sharp stings at the back of his eyes, and instead slips into a more comfortable reflex. The sneer pulls across his face seamlessly, his eyes narrowing and effectively cutting across any instinctive feelings.

"Yeah, well, I just came back to the room to get a shower, not deal with whatever 'bullshit' is."

The sneer twists his words, making them sharper than he wants, but it's familiar and safe and all he needs right now.

"Asshole," Aziz bites out, but the crying had slowed at least.

"Look," Chad hedges, shuffling his weight uncomfortably. "Do…do you want me to get Nikki? Cuz I think he'd be far better equipped for-."

And he's halfway across the room to the door when it occurs to him again that if Aziz had wanted Nikki, he'd have been with him, and that he's not, and that the other boy is also, not here; and that Aziz had seemed to tense slightly at the mention of his boyfriend….

 _Why me?_ Chad thinks, lifting his head in a silent groan. _Why'd I have to get stuck with the overly emotional roommate?_

"This isn't… _his_ fault, is it?" Chad broaches slowly, grimacing at the idea. "Because I just started to like him, and I'd hate to have to ostracize him from the group."

"What do you mean 'just started to like him?'" Aziz snaps, sitting up suddenly and sliding his hands across his face, erasing the trace of tears before they travel further up and into his hair. "There's nothing wrong with my boyfriend."

"So he is still your boyfriend. That's a relief," Chad replies snidely, pointedly dodging the question. "I would've had to kick you out to room with Doug for a week; let him be the one to bring you ice cream or whatever."

"Shut up," Aziz snorts, but his lips are twitching slightly, and Chad relaxes just a bit in relief before groaning at the other boy's next words. "And you still didn't answer me."

"It's his damned guitar," Chad whines, genuinely, this time. "I mean, I'm not against music, but he's _always_ singing and playing it and dancing and being all…and I just…want him to…stop."

"Yes Chad," Aziz deadpans. "Tell the gay son of Naveen to stop singing and dancing. Because that won't end horribly at all."

"Yeah, yeah," Chad grumbles dismissively, waving a hand and turning back towards the bathroom door. "If you're done being all hormonal or whatever…"

"You were right," Aziz says suddenly, and Chad pauses at the abrupt bitter edge to his voice.

He almost wants to slip into concerned, but he's still stinging from his conversation with Audrey, and he'd only just dodged a bullet the first time with Aziz, and so instead he cocks his head, his lips pursing haughtily as he rolls his eyes with a sigh.

"I mean, I usually am, so that's no surprise."

"About the VKs," Aziz clarifies pointedly, and Chad tenses, his stomach clenching and his heart momentarily freezing in his chest.

"The VKs?" He's aware that his voice has lowered, registers the tightness of his throat that turn his words into a growl; but Chad can't find it in himself to care. "What…what did they do now?"

Aziz's jaw clenches and unclenches, a grimace twisting his lips as he gives a short jerk of his head. "Mm," he hums in negative. "I don't need to relive that crap."

And there's a certain curl to his grimace that almost makes it a snarl, but the way the other boy's eyes seem to flicker uncertainly tells Chad all he needs to. There's a very small list of things that anyone could find 'wrong' with Aziz, but no amount of criticisms would have affected him so drastically. Unless they targeted that particular one.

"Oh," Chad murmurs, half whisper, half growl. "Oh they did _not_."

Aziz says nothing, but the tight press of his lips is more than answer enough for Chad.

"Right," he says, his own voice clipped and tight. "So, totally unrelated note: I'm going out for a bit. If I'm not back in an hour, check the infirmary."

"Woah, hey," Aziz scrambles to his feet hastily, a weak smile flitting across his face. "There's no need to get all beat up on my behalf."

"Oh, I didn't mean check for me," Chad replies, bending to tug his shoes back on and checking that the bandages around his hands were still secure.

"Dude," Aziz says, and there's a small, nervous chuckle that bubbles up into his words. "You don't…it's not…I mean…."

"You were literally crying a second ago," Chad retorts shortly, straightening and fixing the other boy with a look. "And I _know_ how that feels. So, yes, it is a big deal, and I am going to make them sorry."

"You mean, make them apologize," Aziz hedges, biting his lip and looking up at Chad cautiously.

"Is there a difference?"

"Oh Charming," Aziz sighs softly in what Chad strongly suspects is sarcasm. "My hero."

"Aziz."

"Seriously. Whoever said you don't care about anything…oh wait, that was me."

"Shut up," Chad snaps, grabbing his Auradon blazer before yanking the door open and eyeing the halls with renewed vigor.

"Hey wait," he hears Aziz call after him as he stalks towards the stairs. "You're not really gonna...? Chad? Chad!"

But he's already halfway down the stairs, more determined than he'd been a couple hours before. He might not have any personal, sentimental attachments to his roommate, but Aziz was still more or less his friend, and he wasn't about to let something like this slide. And if the VKs thought they were going to get away with this, well. They had another thing coming to them.

* * *

 **Evie**

It's like being underwater, sinking slowly and watching everything happen above you in broken, distorted ripples. The anger twisting the King's face; the certainty that there would be some kind of punishment; the anticipation of pain. And then suddenly, warmth. Heat as Mal rushes forward, pressing herself tightly against Evie, her voice a low, furious hiss as she whispers:

 ** _"Tân."_**

The word sends a stronger ripple through the water, and Evie barely stifles a gasp as Mal is suddenly engulfed in flames, the green magic washing across her face and curling around her arms, threading through her fingers and her hair and consuming the black of her eyes until only the fire remains.

And Evie can _feel_ it, in that moment. The tug of the magic so strong it almost threatens to overtake her completely, but she reaches for it anyway, fumbling blindly against Mal's heat in a desperate grab for her own power. It stirs, briefly, flickering within her reach and yet, just tauntingly far enough that she can't…quite…get to it.

She almost screams with the frustration, almost cries with the pain of being so cut off, of failing at something yet again. Of not being good enough. But then Mal stirs, and Evie is jerked sharply back into the moment as the green flames seem to contort, writhing and twisting to an edge, and Evie clings closer to the other girl as she focuses that edge on the vague forms flickering just beyond.

 ** _"Ddinistrio,"_** Mal rasps, her voice dark and thick with something fierce and almost like pleasure.

It occurs to Evie then, that the fire isn't burning them at all, despite the way it threatens to consume them both entirely. The heat is there, definitely, and she had a brief moment of panic where she glances down to ensure her clothes aren't scorched. Thankfully, they're still intact, and she's able to pull herself further out of her thoughts and glare through the fire.

She can only see the outlines, but she's pretty sure that she can make out Ben somewhere near the front, and the King, directly before them, the Queen tucked just behind his towering form. Evie tenses as the fire snaps sharply, coiling back as though ready to strike, and she darts an anxious glance towards Mal. The other girl is trembling slightly, but there's no mistaking the wicked smile curling at her lips.

Evie lets herself relax, just a bit, a small smirk of her own tugging at her mouth. It's almost like being back on the Isle, two regals fighting side by side, confident and entirely unopposed while everyone cowered and groveled at their feet. She half expects to hear screams of terror at Mal's fiery display, certain that the crowd would be running and cursing at the top of their lungs about demons and witches.

But this is Auradon, and so all they really get are horrified looks, although someone is definitely crying; the high, hysterical kind that sucks all the air from your body. The sound tugs at something deep and painfully familiar in Evie, a memory that she doesn't want to touch, but is snapped into when another desperate cry rings out.

And suddenly she isn't on a grassy field next to her best friend, confident in the terror and chaos they are causing...

 _There's a weird smell, like smoke but not really. She doesn't know what it is, but it's not anything pleasant. It makes her stomach lurch, a tight, spasming pain echoing deep in her chest as her lungs expand and contract too quickly._

 _She's crying. Why is she crying?_

 _There's a wall in front of her. The brick smells kind of…powdery and dry; like makeup or…oh. It's chalk. That's what the not-smoke is. Chalk. She remembers sketching out patterns with it when she was little, designing clothes and dresses that she would wear some day when she was grown up and a princess with a prince and a castle and a…._

 _Something moves behind her. She's crying harder now, salt mixing with chalk and there's definitely smoke. Something is burning, but there's a wall in front of her and something behind her and she doesn't want to…can't think. Can't know. Can't breathe._

Can't breathe she can't breathe she can't breathe and there's something burning, something's burning and she has to…get away…has to…

"E? Evie?"

Evie gasps sharply, earth brown eyes snapping up to meet jade green. Mal is still focused on the still building fire, but there's a furrow in her brow, a shift in her body that Evie feels as Mal presses herself just a little closer. She takes another breath and it comes out too much like a sob for her liking, so she draws a deep breath and holds it, nodding her head quickly and gritting her teeth hard against the wave that threatens to come up and pull her under again.

She understands what Carlos means, now, when he'd told her that the panic feels like drowning. It's not just a lack of air, it's too much air. Too much air and too many thoughts and feelings. Too many images...too many and now is not the _time_!

The heat from Mal's fire burns away any tears that have fallen, drying them stiffly to her face. Evie takes that as her cue and releases her pent up breath, turning it into a quick, determined sort of sigh, letting her lips slide upwards into a mischievous smirk of her own.

"Just enjoying the view," she murmurs assuringly, and Mal lets out a low, but enthusiastic chuckle.

"This," the other girl replies, her eyes alight with fire and gold as it fixes on something beyond the field of vision. "This is what we came here for."

Evie opens her mouth to reply when a sudden, broken gasp sounds past the fire. She flinches instinctively, that tugging feeling back in her gut as Mal's eyes snap over to the source of the sound. She can't see much through the swirl of magic, but she recognizes that hard, calculating look in the other girl's gaze, _knows_ that small sideways twitch of her jaw. Mal's holding back, though only barely. There's something on the other side of the flames that's pulling her out of the moment and making her hesitate, draining the confidence from her veins. Evie had seen the same thing happen during Mal's numerous 'staring contests' with Maleficent, the dragon queen's magic overtaking Mal's own and painfully forcing compliance.

And before Evie can really process this, before she could tell the other girl not to let go; to not give in so soon, Mal mutters:

 _ **"Beidio."**_

And the fire is already dying. Mal's lips press tightly together as the flames slowly dissipate, some of it dispelling into the air and the rest seeming to almost filter back through Mal's body. Evie feels a soft pang of worry, and an even softer twinge of jealousy that she quickly tries to stifle. But there's no denying it; she's jealous of Mal's ability, of the ease in which the other girl is able to wield her magic where Evie can barely even _feel_ her own, let alone harness it.

She knows better- after all, there was so much that she could do that she knew for a fact Mal could not. Picking a decent outfit was one of those things, she thinks smugly, side-eyeing Mal's particular choice of clothing. Thick jeans that are cut off at roughly at Mal's ankles, the way the denim crumples and sags around Mal's hips and legs telling Evie right away that they're not even girls' jeans. A black tshirt that hugs her form and is ripped along the side, and then of course, the ever present purple and green studded jacket. The only thing Evie could say with certainty was perfect, and then, only because she herself had made it.

Mal might be able to craft magic, but Evie could definitely make a decent outfit. And of course, she could read people, a skill that had saved their lives countless times on the Isle. She could pick up their intentions from their posture; their bodies saying all the things that their mouths weren't. She hadn't had to utilize much in Auradon so far, but if there were any time that could call for it, it's now; especially with the loss of the magic that had been their shield.

Evie can see through the fire better now that it is fading, and the first thing she picks up on is the King, at the front of the cowering group of people. She can't see his face, but she can read the tension in his body, in the way he shifts his weight to try and protect everyone at once. And then, there's Ben. She knows it's him instinctively, and when the flames finally clear enough she knows for certain when she sees his face, eyes wide but not quite panicked like his girlfriend's. Audrey is pulling at him, the girl's face wild and desperate with sheer terror, a high, wailing sound slipping past her lips as she sobs.

The cry threatens to send Evie back to the images; back to the memories of chalk and smoke and brick walls, but the shift in Ben's posture is confusing enough to keep her in the moment. He's not cowering in fear, or even stiff and unyielding like his father. Instead he is tense and wary, but she doesn't see fear in his eyes. It's almost like…longing, as his body leans away from Audrey and the crowd behind him, shifting towards Evie and…Mal.

Evie almost wants to laugh at the incredulity of it all, but instead settled for a simple smirk, turning to Mal with a toss of her head.

"Hey M," she murmurs slyly. "I think you've got an admirer."

Mal lets out a low, breathless sound that might be a laugh, her cheeks twitching in amusement. She opens her mouth to say something, but whatever it is is lost in a sudden, renewed flare of fire, the heat even stronger and fiercer than before as it completely overtakes Mal's petite form. It takes even Mal off guard, if the wide, open look on her face is any indication, the other girl staring at her hands and the flames with her lips slightly parted in something like wonder, but not quite.

"Mal?" Evie probes cautiously, shifting away from the surging heat and the almost sickeningly strong pull of magic.

Mal purses her lips, her brow furrowing before suddenly she straightens sharply, her back arching her spine like a bow and snapping her chin up towards the sky.

"Mal!" Evie screams, horrified, as the tug of magic spikes painfully.

"Oh," Mal whispers, her voice soft and tight with barely concealed pain. "So she was right about that after all."

Then her expression shifts slightly, the tiniest curl of her lips into a sneer. "The bitch," she spits.

Evie doesn't have time to interpret, or ask who or what Mal was talking about. The tug of magic in her gut dies suddenly, sucking almost like a vacuum and leaving nothing but a hollow emptiness inside. At the same moment, the flames wash down over Mal and disappear, the other girl collapsing with a harshly exhaled sigh.

Evie jerks, cries out. Reaches…too late!

And then suddenly there's a shift in pressure right by Evie's side, strong arms snapping out and slowing Mal's fall, steady hands carefully maneuvering her further into the embrace. Evie flinches back, startled by the abrupt presence, and when she looks up again it's to stare in surprise at Ben; who had somehow darted across the field and managed to catch her just in time. And who was now staring at the lifeless girl in his arms as if he'd never quite seen her before.

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

There's a very small number of places on the Isle where small children would be 'safe.' Of course, it was all relative, but 'safe' for Mal meant away from her mother, away from the creepy looking people who looked at her funny when she tried to threaten them, and secure enough that no one else could get to it and that Mal could defend it easily.

For now, 'safe' was a secluded section of alleys courtyards not too far from where the town became beach. It was never too hot there, thanks to the heavy breeze that blew up from the ocean, and if it ever came down to it, it wasn't that hard to go down and sit carefully in the shallow bit of water to keep cool.

Mal's favorite part of her safe place, was the small pit of sand wedged just at the edge of the water, guarded by a large outcropping of rocks and boulders that jutted out of the sand and ran clear down into the waves. Even Jay liked the sand pit, not that Mal let him down there often. He didn't seem to like it when she told him what to do, but he would just have to…suck it up, as Mal had heard her mother say.

Except, Jay hadn't shown up at the beach that day, or the day before, and if there was one thing Mal hated, it was someone who went back on a deal. She tended to try and avoid Jafar as much as possible, which was a true feat since he was at her house practically every day, visiting with her mother. Mal wasn't stupid, even though her mother sometimes wondered if she was; despite only being eight, she knew how the Isle worked- how the _people_ on the Isle worked. There was no doubt in her mind that there was 'something' going on between her mother and the former advisor, but she wasn't about to dwell on it now.

Now, she had to find her partner. She might despise Jay's existence at times, but he was still her partner, and therefore, her responsibility. She stood from the shallow pit of sand and climbed back up and over the rocky outcropping. She was just about to leap down and start the trek back towards the Village when she heard a sudden, angry shout.

"Hey!"

Mal started, her head snapping up to scan the beach for the source. It was not from a furious and dangerous villain as she had feared, but instead…a little kid? Mal frowned at the small girl who glared up at her, eyes squinted against the light and further emphasizing the frustration on her face.

"Hey," Mal said back, straightening slowly and eyeing the girl warily. She wasn't much to look at; tiny and with the tell-tale thinness of someone who didn't get enough to eat, though that was practically everyone on the Isle so no big deal there. She had dark skin that reminded Mal unequivocally of mud, and long, ropy hair that looked like the ocean had thrown up on it.

"What do you think you're doing?" the strange girl snapped, her voice childishly high and yet, sort of raspy all the same, her hands coming up to shield her eyes and lessening her severe squint. "This is _my_ beach!"

Mal smiled gleefully at the challenge, her heat beating with anticipation. Forget Jay. It was time to put this little worm in her place.

"Your beach, huh?"

Mal leapt down from the rock, landing with an unceremonious 'thump!' in front of the girl. She was even smaller up close, and from here Mal could smell the stink of the sea on her. The girl gaped before staggering back in surprise at Mal's sudden proximity.

"I don't see your name on it," Mal continued smugly, curling her lip as she glared down at the weird girl.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" The girl said, her own face twisting in disdain, and Mal almost laughed out loud.

"Do _you_?" she fired back, and the girl blinked at her before seeming to straighten, sticking out her chest with pointed arrogance.

"I am the daughter of Ursula," she boasted haughtily. "Descended from the goddess Calypso herself. The song of the ocean runs through my blood, and this is my beach by birthright. You're just a trespasser."

"Wow," Mal drawled, exaggerating her syllables in faux appreciation. "A lot of big words for such a tiny shrimp."

The girl spluttered, and Mal's smirk widened.

"I-Exs _cuse_ me?!"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure at first, but then your whole 'blood of water' thing cleared it up for me," Mal said, eyeing the girl critically. "No wonder it looks like the ocean threw up on you. It totally did."

The girl didn't seem to have anything to say to that, spluttering so hard Mal wondered if she was drowning. That sparked a nasty, if somewhat violent idea in her adolescent mind, but of course, she'd be disappointing her herself, (and her mother's name really) if she didn't follow through with it.

"Aw, no," Mal sighed, feigning worry. "Have you been out of the water for too long? Here, let me help."

Before the girl even knew what had happened, Mal had grabbed hold of her, pinning her arms to her sides and using her height and strength to her advantage, dragging the still spluttering girl up the rock base and all the way down to the water's edge. The ocean was deeper here than in the shallows, and the rocks were slick with algae and seaweed; the very same seaweed that was woven into the girl's hair.

Mal didn't even hesitate, simply hefted the girl up to the ledge and shoved her screaming into the water just as a wave broke over the rocks. The resulting swell tugged the girl under, and she didn't resurface for at least a good fifteen or twenty seconds. When she did, she was choking, coughing and sucking in desperate gasps of air, cursing at Mal in between ragged breaths.

She gave in to her laughter then, doubling over and cackling wickedly, the sound dissolving into giggles as the girl was sucked under another wave. She didn't take quite so long to resurface that time, but Mal was too caught up in the moment to care.

"You…you'll pay…!" the girl screamed desperately, and Mal straightened from her hunched over form to carelessly flip her off.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she laughed. "You might just want to stay in the water, little shrimp. Maybe you'll learn that it's best not to try and mess with dragons.

The girl let out a furious scream, which was swallowed instantly by the next wave, the white foam swallowing her form completely and sending a resounding _**crash** _ against the rocks. Mal chuckled to herself as she climbed back down and started towards the Village in a significantly happier mood.

"Little shrimp," she scoffed, her eyes flickering with green.

She didn't look back, though if she had, she might have noticed the pale boy in red scrambling up the rocks in her stead. There was a flash of silver as he reached the top, and then the boy was gone, over the side and into the ocean beyond.

* * *

 **Jay**

If someone had told Jay a week ago that he would not only be going to Auradon against his will to uphold whatever twisted sense of 'family honor' Jafar possessed, but that he would actually kind of _enjoy it there_ , he'd have scoffed in their face before stealing their clothes for having stupid ideas. And yet, here he is, not only in Auradon, but sprinting neck in neck with a couple of red faced princes, laughing in abandon as he launches himself up the side of an eight foot wall without breaking stride once.

He ignores the rope dangling from the top, planting his left foot firmly against the wall and pushing himself up, feeling the familiar burn of callouses on his palms as he grips the top of the ledge and hefts himself up. He feels like he can breathe, for the first time since coming to this stupid kingdom, and he sits astride the wall and glances down at the princes who are still huffing and puffing at the bottom, glaring up at him in what he knows is definitely envy.

"Ha ha, yeah!" he crows at them haughtily. "You wish you were this good!"

He laughs when they curse up at him, one of the boys grabbing the rope and beginning to sloppily climb his way up. He's all set to swing himself over the side and keep going, when a flash of movement catches his eyes. He frowns, peering down at the strange blur of…pink?- that's steadily making its way through the course.

The figure easily clears the 'stepping stones' as Jay had sneeringly referred them to; practically skipping back and forth between the muddy gaps and landing smoothly on the other side. He blinks, surprised, and watches in shock as the stranger throws themselves down and crawls deftly under the cargo nets, barely brushing the buckets of paint perched precariously atop the wooden pegs.

He can see them better now, and the flash of _long_ dark hair as they toss their head catches him so of guard he almost falls of the wall. It's…

"Damn it Lonnie," one of the boys below him hisses. "As if it wasn't bad enough with _him_ , now you have to show us up too?"

"Hey, I came to dominate, don't complain if you didn't bring your A game, Kory," the girl calls back, cocking a hip and titling her head back to stare up at Jay.

"What, and I guess you're gonna just hang up there like you own the course?" Lonnie hollers at him, and Jay feels a thrill of excitement at having a competitor, while also bristling just a bit at the challenge.

He straightens further on the wall, swinging his leg back up into a casual half-crouch. "I don't see anyone coming to take it from me," he fires back, his lips twisting cockily.

Lonnie shakes her head, her own mouth twitching as she lets out a slow chuckle. "Oh-ho! You are so on, Jr."

"Jr?" Jay snaps, frowning sharply at her. "The fuck is…?"

"Yeah, you know, 'Jafar Jr.,'" she snipes slyly. "That's totally what 'Jay' is for, isn't it."

Jay gapes a moment, completely caught off guard. He wants to fire an insult back, wants to leap down from the wall and show her just how much like his 'father' he was. But before he can do more than stare, Lonnie had sprinted up the wall, planting a foot firmly and leaping up a good couple feet before grabbing for the rope and effortlessly hauling herself up the last bit. She pauses at the top, the upper half of her body already over the other side, to toss him a cocky grin.

"You wish you were this good," she whispers, before swinging her legs up and over, barely missing the side of Jay's head.

She lands on the other side with a hearty 'oof!' before laughing smugly. "Try and keep up, Jr! If I'm feeling nice, I just might let you win!"

And that did it. Jay half scoffs, half snarls, swinging himself backwards over the wall, landing heavily and launching himself forward into a roll to counter the severe shock.

"Let me win," he spits, staring at Lonnie's retreating form as she sprints to the next obstacle. "Who does she think she is?"

He springs up to his feet and pretends not to hear the boys on the other side of the wall. 'Poor bastard,' he thinks he hears one mutter anyway. 'Doesn't yet realize that it's hopeless to go against her.'

'He'll find out soon enough.'

Jay growls and darts after Lonnie, shaking off the idiotic comments and pushing hard against the burn already searing his lungs. He'd show her. No one insulted Jay's abilities and got away with it. Not for long, at least.

No one got away with it…except for Lonnie, apparently. By the time Jay reached the final obstacle, he had realized he was basically running a second place time. And as furious and shocked as that made him, he couldn't help but laugh as he spotted Lonnie, lounging on her back at the top of a thick wooden plank that was decorated with flags. The thing had to have been at least twelve feet tall, maybe more, and yet she'd clearly scaled it like it was nothing.

"Shove over will ya?" Jay hollers to her, and she starts slightly before grinning down at him.

"Hey, you made it," she yells back. "I was afraid you'd gotten lost."

"Shut up," he snaps, but he's smiling too, unable to quite figure out the strangely light feeling bubbling in his chest. It comes out as a laugh, as Lonnie slides over and gestures dramatically to the empty place beside her. He shakes his head once, eyeing the plank and deciding the best route was just going at it head on, and throws himself at it with his usual reckless energy.

The plank is not, as it turned out, square. It's rounded, more oval, and Jay finds himself unable to get a good enough grip. He starts to slide, and Lonnie snorts above his head.

"Pro tip: don't do it like that."

He shoots her a glare and tries again anyway, planting his feet and trying to wrap his arms around it for leverage. He doesn't even make it up a foot, and he punches the 'plank' furiously before grimacing, biting back a curse in Arabic.

"Yup, the temper is definitely Jafar," Lonnie teases. "Hey, second tip: you won't be able to force your way through this like you did with the rest of the course."

"Some Auradon Princess secrets passed down from your Mommy?" Jay snipes back, though he finds himself almost regretting the taunt as Lonnie fixes him with a fierce look.

"My mother was a _warrior_ , thank you very much," she says coolly. "And if you ever call me a princess again I will show you exactly what secrets she passed down to me."

Jay actually finds himself reasonably intimidated, and he nods his head slowly in even further admiration. "Noted," he mutters, and she beams at him, completely opposite of the threatening demeanor only moments ago.

"Good," she chirps cheerfully, before shimmying down the plank and dropping the last few feet to land gracefully in front of him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go express my bragging rights to the rest of Auradon. Good luck dealing with that stiff board."

And the coy look she gives him before sauntering off leaves Jay with no doubt that she knew exactly what she was saying.

"Fuck me," he whispers hoarsely.

She hears him, somehow, and pauses, glancing back over her shoulder. Jay quickly adopts a neutral expression, hoping to avoid another threat, but instead she smirks at him slyly, her eyes glinting darkly.

"Maybe if you ask a little nicer," she murmurs, before turning and sprinting back across the field.

 _Marry me_ , Jay thinks desperately, but doesn't say. Because that would imply too much sappy Auradon-fairytale-ness for his liking. But damn if this girl wasn't something else.

"It's Jayden, by the way," he shouts after her instead, cupping his hands around his mouth.

She turns, and jogs backwards a few feet, mimicking his gesture and bringing one around her mouth, the other pointing behind him to the 'plank.'

"I'll catch you at the top of that next time, Jayden," she hollers back, and then she's off again, her high, throaty laugh drifting to him over her shoulder.

* * *

 **Fun Fact of the chapter: The origin and history of the Fae and Faeries are actually Celtic, with roots in both Old French and German. I decided to go with the Welsh/Celtic route because I love the accent and the way the words sound, so the language of magic that Mal speaks in this chapter is Welsh; specifically the words for 'Fire,' 'Destroy,' and 'Cease.'**

 **Tân : Fire, pronounced 't-ah-n'**

 **Ddinistrio : Destroy, pronounced 'th-eness-trio' (Really cool language note, that double dd makes a 'th' as is in 'the' sound, not at all what you think it is!)**

 **Beidio : Cease, pronounced 'buy-dee-oh'**


	20. Black holes and revelations

**Hey guys! Sorry about disappearing again. My muse took off running after rewatching Descendants 2, and I can't wait to share all my new little head-canons with you! :)**

 **Let's get this started, shall we?**

 **manticore-gurl071134: I'm glad you liked it so much! There will definitely be more D2 in here, lol. Sooo many ideas! So many head canons! I just might have to write a sequel. (hint hint) ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guest 1: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it. This chapter is just as intense, so hang on! I hope you will enjoy this just as much.**

 **Jewelz1642: Good to hear from you again! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, I had a lot of fun writing the confrontation with Mal and King Adam, in case you couldn't tell. And especially with shipping Jay/Lonnie, haha. I didn't even know how hard I shipped it until I was writing it, lol! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too. :)**

 **Everlocke: Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and that you're enjoying the story so far. I agree, Descendants 2 was pretty awesome. I will definitely be incorporating things from it into this story, but I think the rest might have to wait for either a separate one shot series or…a sequel? But whataver I decide, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Shots and Giggles: Haha, yeah…Panic! has some…fun videos, lol. Should have put a notice up that if anyone listens to the songs while they read, be aware that Panic! at the Disco gets weird.**

 **But yeah I definitely agree with you there. I think there is a lot of self-censorship from Disney, since they have all these great ideas, but they don't want to deal with people jumping down their throats about stuff. (Prime example, the recent live action Beauty and the Beast. Did you know we were _this close_ to getting a shirtless Dan Stevens during the transformation back into a man sequence, but _one mom_ complained about their kid seeing a shirtless guy, and so we didn't. Literally, it was just one mom, but it was changed because of that. Lefou being gay for Gaston was fine though. Just couldn't have a hot shirtless guy cuz it would corrupt the children! Can you tell I'm bitter about that?)**

 **Haha, but in all seriousness, yes, to pretty much everything you said. I was so happy to see Lonnie show her mischievous side, and confirm just how bad-ass she is. Sneaking off to the Isle of the Lost with a duffel bag full of no less than _five_ swords, and full fencing gear. I love how she came prepared to fight, anticipating violence, but Ben comes so open and exposed, all honest and adorable and clueless, which ultimately led to his kidnapping in the first place. I really loved that little acknowledgment towards their characters there. :)**

 **Honestly, Dizzy threw me for such a loop, not gonna lie. I knew that a fan had been chosen to be a character in the movie, and I knew that it was her, but I refused to go anywhere near behind the scenes or extras or clips from D2 because I wanted to go into it completely surprised and with fresh eyes. It was great, but I was grumbling at the screen when she was introduced because 'I already have Chad's cousin, man! What am I supposed to do with this bubbly paint splotch of energy? I have to reconstruct my entire head canon!' etc.**

 **So, I may or may not include Dizzy, I'm not sure yet. Definitely a crap ton of Harry, Gil and Uma though, you can count on that! ;)**

 **My response is taking up so much space, lol, so I'll leave you with a promise that I will be exploring the pirate crew dynamic, as well as the Royals vs the VKs in the coming chapters.**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Jac: Hello, welcome to the story and thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much and that you think I'm succeeding so far. And of course I was going to keep the original ideas, lol. I fell in love with the two chapters I read and I wanted to make sure that I did the original author and the story justice. :)**

 **Not sure about 4 chapters, haha, but if it's any consolation I think this is the fastest I've updated so far, so…enjoy! ;)**

 **Gracfully: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Yassyisthebest : Hi, welcome to the story and thanks for leaving a review! I typically try and update every week, and if not, then every other week, although there have been a couple lengthier hiatus' with this story. And my Maleficent fic…is pretty much endless hiatus between chapters, although I am still updating it; I swear I haven't forgotten about it! *cringes though because it's been months since I updated it.***

 **Lol, but I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **GenderqueerWriter: Yes, I have returned with another chapter, lol. I'm really glad you like my portrayals of both Chad and Lonnie. One thing I wanted to explore about Chad was the fact that he's on the Tourney team, which is a pretty rough and violent sport. (think U.S football) And so many people portray him as that stereotypical, wimpy, whiny prince we see him as in the movie, and yet I thought there had to be more to him than that if he can hold his own on the field. So I'll be playing with that more in upcoming chapters too. ;)**

 **As for Dizzy…well I went on a brief tangent about her in one of my other reviews but the gist is, I'm not sure lol. She kind of came out of nowhere, and as much as I love her (and believe me I do!) I just…have no place for her in my head canon. So I'm not sure yet what I'll do with her, to be honest. Although if I do incorporate her, I would definitely play up that angst!**

 **And you are correct, the pole was definitely based on the one in Mulan. I wasn't sure how many people would catch that. I'm glad you liked Uma's introduction. I wanted to play up how Mal sort of refuses to acknowledge her as a person, simply calling her 'Shrimpy' and other nicknames/insults, which manifests itself in Uma's need for recognition, hence 'What's my name?' (Oops, was that a spoiler? I think that was a spoiler…just ignore that.)**

 **Anyway, I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Kitty Kat Vixen: I'm glad you're enjoying your puppy! We just got my grandmother a puppy beginning of this year and she's having the same problem. It must be a puppy thing, lol. ;)**

 **I'm also really glad you're enjoying my story, and that you liked the Evie POV. You can count on a bit more of her in the coming chapters, since D2 gave me a bit of a twist on the headcanon I've created for her, so I'll be anxious to incorporate that into the story. And yes, especially with Evie and Chad and their friendship…*rubs hands and grins manically***

 **And yes, poor Aziz and Nikhil. You were close, lol. Naveen is Nikhil's dad. :) But don't worry, I'll be having everyone make up, it just might take a little bit. I had fun writing evil!baby!Mal and Uma, haha. I will definitely be exploring everyone, especially the pirate crew and Gil's arrival on the scene, and Uma's/Ursula's necklace.**

 **As for FNAF…*has sudden, terrifying flashbacks of dark hallways and flickering flashlights and evil animatronics* Yes, I am very familiar with it, lol. I never played the game myself, though I've thought about trying it, but I've watched all the gameplays (still working through Sister Location…) and I'm very much aware of the theories, lol. That game was pretty much endless nightmare fuel while I watched the playthrough's, and I've sworn an oath that I will never step foot into another Chuck E. Cheese's because of it. ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **starflight34: Haha, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and my wickedly awesome Mal! :) She will be making another appearance in future chapters so…I hope you'll continue enjoy and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

 **Alex: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and that you enjoyed my take on Lonnie and Chad. :) Yeah, there had been speculation, and then later it was confirmed by Disney that Aziz would be in D2, but then I never saw/heard of him, which kind of made me sad.**

 **But I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Guest 2: Yeah, Mal seems like one who feels and cares too much, despite appearances otherwise. I think she's definitely going to explode (more than she has now, haha) and it won't be pretty.**

 **DreamOn: Welcome to the story, and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far and that you think I'm doing such a good job. :) Really happy you liked the Celtic words, too, since they'll be making reappearances here and there and I was hoping it wouldn't be too weird. As for facing up to Chad, well…we'll see how some of that goes in this chapter. ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **12345: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Mal will definitely be leaning on them more, though she won't be taking to it so easily, I'll give you a hint. ;) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Tiredandlazy: Haha, no need to apologize, I know exactly what you mean. The second that scene started up I was banging my head against the back of the sofa because I knew that was what they were going to do but was desperately hoping they wouldn't.**

 **Although, what?! You haven't seen….*starts spluttering helplessly***

 **Sorry, haha, but seriously what?**

 **Anyway, I'm glad you liked my take on evil Mal. I had so much fun writing that scene, not gonna lie. I think you could tell, lol. And yes, slowly starting to shake things up in terms of relationships. It's an angsty, feels-filled earthquake happening here, lol.**

 **And yes, Mal and Uma's flashback confrontation was also a fun one to write. I can't wait till everyone else gets involved too. Then we'll have some _real_ fun!**

 **Also oh my gosh, give this person a prize! I wasn't sure if anyone would pick up on that, but yes! Jay was totally a sneaky bastard and stole all the cigarettes, which Aziz knew about but let him do anyway because _street rats before harem pants_ , lol. Which is also why he broke down because thinking of smoking with Jay right after being ruthlessly shredded by Jay….well, yeah.**

 **I will definitely make sure it's not another month before I update, haha. I hope you will enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think! :)**

 **Carmine De Vil: Haha, maybe a little bit. ;P I'm glad you're enjoying this so much, and don't worry, there will definitely be a lot more of Harry and Uma. (I have to give my new OTP some love, right?) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Thanks for catching that! I'll make sure to go back and fix it.**

 **I'm glad you're enjoying everything so much. That's a neat little book tidbit, now I'm wondering if I can incorporate in here somehow….**

 **And happy birthday! :) I hope this newest chapter will be a nice little present for you, if I haven't missed it.**

 **We'll be seeing just what Chad's been up to here, as well as Mal and the other VKs, so I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy. :)**

 **Guest 3: (Not sure if you're the same Guest as #4, but): Thank you for leaving a review! I appreciate the suggestion, but I've already decided on the pairings for this story. But I hope you will continue to read and enjoy anyway! :)**

 **Guest 4: (Again, not sure if you're also Guest 3, haha): It fits well, doesn't it? ;) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **Kameron the God of Fairytales: It's good to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and that you've been enjoying the story so far. I'd have to say, either Evie, because she can design really awesome clothes; or Lonnie, haha. ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Jenn: Hi, welcome to the story and thanks for leaving a review! We will find out what happens to Mal soon, have no fear! :) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **Rose: Welcome to the story and thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. Don't worry, definitely keeping the core four platonic. :) I'm happy you like my characters and the portrayals, and yeah, I may have somehow jumped hard on the Jay/Lonnie ship after seeing D2, lol. Had neutral feelings towards the ship, like, it's there and you know, cool, and then after D2 was like OMG OTP so hard! ;)**

 **Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Malifacter0605-XxKINDSOULSxX : Whew! Congratulations, you now hold the record for longest name, lol. ;) Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review. I am definitely going to continue this, I just had a lot of stuff going on and ended up taking an unplanned hiatus. But I'm back now and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Sammy the girl: Welcome to the story and thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying this so much, and it really means a lot to me that you think so highly of this. I always worry how my writing comes across, and fanfiction is really the first and only time I've ever put my writing out there, so thank you so much for letting me know that it's definitely paying off! :) I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **DescendantsLover : Haha, yes indeed! He will be further served, just you wait! Karma hasn't come full circle just yet. ;) I'm glad you're enjoying my story and I hope you will continue to do so.**

 **riskybusiness : I'm so glad you're enjoying my story so far! Descendants 2 was definitely a huge inspiration for me as well, so hopefully I'll be able to live up to your expectations!**

 **TheBrothersFurt : Hi, welcome to the story and that you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying this so much and that you like what I've come up with for the characters. I definitely wanted to focus on the Core Four family, haha, and I'm glad it's coming through! Carlos is my favorite as well, and you are more than welcome! I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Authors Notes:**

 **Ok guys, where do I begin with this? How about here: THIS CHAPTER IS STRAIGHT UP ANGST!**

 **There, that should be an obvious enough warning. Ok, but seriously guys, this chapter is angsty like crap, like damn, even I surprised myself with how angsty it got.**

 *****WARNINGS for this chapter are important as well, and include crude language, violence and anger issues, anxiety/panic attacks, references to anxiety/panic attacks, referenced, mentioned and implied child abuse, as well as brief mentions and implications of child molestation and implied homophobia.*****

 **It sounds worse than it…no, no for real, heed the warnings. Nothing is too explicit, but I wanted to be safe and include all the tags just in case because this chapter is really intense like hot damn!**

* * *

 ******Note 2: The song this chapter title is inspired by is Uprising by Muse, and I highly recommend listening to it either before, during or after you read the chapter. Other songs that inspired this chapter that I also recommend listening to while you read are: Numbers by Daughter, Youth by Dauther, Run (also by Daughter, can you tell I like this artist?) and Dark Mal by Hans Zimmer from the Inception Soundtrack.*******

 **Ok, enough out of me, enjoy the chapter! I hope you guys do enjoy it, because I sat down at 11pm and said that I wasn't going anywhere until I finished it and posted it for you. It is now 1:30am.**

 **(Please do excuse any unnecessary sass or grammar issues. The author is extremely proud and dedicated, but also exhausted and running on little sleep. Also, you're going to hate me again. It's inevitable, I've accepted it. You're all going to hate me.)**

 **Anyway, enjoy this angst fest and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **Audrey**

It's all Audrey can do to keep herself together in the aftermath of the party. The tents had been cleared away almost immediately, though the obstacle course had stayed, the giant Mulan-inspired flag pole still stuck firmly in the ground. The food had been relocated indoors to be used for the dinner buffet, and the trash and other partially eaten waste collected to be shipped to the Isle on the next cycle.

The Isle….

Audrey took a sharp breath, tears stinging painfully at her eyes while bile brought acid up in her throat. The images still burned behind her eyes, the unnatural green flames, the heat so strong Audrey was certain they would all be scorched from the backlash. And the _magic_! It had been so strong that even the non-magical of their group could feel its pull, threatening to suck them in and overtake them entirely.

Another breath, too shallow, as Audrey remembered the look in Mal's eyes, the dark raspy tone of the other girl's voice and the way the flames responded, coiling like a snake and spitting poison. A whimper rose up to take the place of the sick churning of her stomach, tears spilling ungracefully down her cheeks.

She had always heard the stories, every child in Auradon had, but she was the only one who knew just how devastating the effects of it had been on her family. Her parents' divorce, the way they hardly ever acknowledged each other except for council meetings where they were forced to be civil to each other. How Audrey had lived at her Grandmother's for those tense years of the separation when she was twelve, the older Queen practically raising her from that point on.

Audrey knew all too well that Maleficent's curse hadn't just destroyed one life…how far reaching it truly was. And even with Ben's decree, she couldn't shake that lingering fear that overshadowed everything she did. To be confronted so suddenly with Mal's presence was like willingly allowing a frog into her bed, only it wasn't a prince or anything benevolent in disguise. It was just a frog, slimy and wart-ridden, that crawled and slithered into all the cherished and sacred places that refused to be touched; _couldn't_ be touched lest they be desecrated by its presence.

To face the flames and remain unaffected would have been a feat for anyone. But for Audrey it had been practically impossible. She can still feel the hysterical fear, the tightness in her chest threatening to drown out everything else. She had seen the way Mal had smiled…smiled! As the green flames had lashed around her body, the magic thick and deadly as it arched to attack them. To kill them.

Audrey whimpers again, the sound echoing strangely in her head and seeming to reverberate in the air. She imagined the invisible ripples of sound stretching out from her body only to bounce back and crush her, wave after wave of relentless pulsing energy. She bites her lip hard, tugs at her hair till it hurts, pinches the soft skin of her inner arm, anything anything to keep her grounded, keep her on the ground, she wasn't going to let it carry her away, not again not again no…no…

"Audrey?"

She gasps, realizes she's sobbing without really breathing. She stumbles away, her blood pounding hard in her ears and drowning out the invisible waves. She couldn't lose control of herself like this. She's a princess, a future queen; for someone to see her in the midst of her spiral would ruin her already delicately balanced reputation.

"…drey, whoa. _Ssshhh_ …hey."

She's being turned around, the voice soft and gentle in the form of two hands pressed firmly to sides of her face.

"Hey," the voice whispers again, even softer. "Hey, it's ok. It's ok just breathe. Breathe."

She opens her mouth and screams without sound, a harsh desperate gasp of air that threatens to lift her back into the air.

"Ok, that's ok," says the voice, the hands warm on her cheeks. "Open your eyes, Audrey. Can you do that? I need you to open your eyes."

She tries shaking her head, but it's her body that shudders instead, and one phantom hand leaves her face to grip her shoulder.

"I need you open your eyes," the voice echoes. "Audrey? Open your eyes."

Does she have eyes? She can't quite tell suddenly. There's definitely something solid nearby, though, and she focuses on it, willing herself away from the rippling waves.

"Good, that's good. That's really good, Audrey, ok? Hey." A soft shake, physical and real. "Hey, what do you see?"

She blinks, and she almost sobs at the relief that she can feel her body again, can feel the hands that are back on her face. Salt pricks bitterly at her tongue and she realizes that she is crying, and she blinks again hard to clear her vision, trying to remember who she is, trying not to slip again.

"Take a breath," the voice instructs calmly. "Tell me what you see."

She looks. A solid presence, a warm, cool, clear kind of color that reminds her of a well-worn argument of 'make it pink, make it-'

"Blue," she croaks, and the other voice sighs, almost a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah my shirt's blue. Ok, what else? Give me four more things."

She doesn't want to, but she forces herself to look anyway, taking a breath and glaring through the invisible force around her. There's the person in front of her, whoever it is remaining stubbornly out of focus but still, very much there.

"I can see you," she offers, and the person does laugh this time.

"Ok, that's one."

She frowns, and looks again, pulling away from the cloud a little harder this time. "I can see the gardens…roses…the school."

"There you go," the person says, a lilt in their voice like a quiet cheer. "Now, what do you feel? What can you touch, I mean. Four things…sorry, I've only ever done this once before."

She frowns at that, too, but she focuses, and realizes that she's gripping the person just as firmly as they grip her.

"You," she answers automatically. "The ground." She almost cries with relief at that one, finally on the ground again. Back in her body. "My hair on my neck…the breeze."

"Better," the person says, and it occurs to her belatedly that they're male, and then with a strange jolt, that it's not Ben.

The realization forces her to focus in earnest now, and the world slowly shifts and snaps back into place as the stranger continues muttering quietly.

"I think…hearing. Audrey? What are three things you can hear? Aside from me."

She lifts her head, the sounds flooding back in like through a filter, gradually getting louder and clearer as she focuses on the person before her. Tall, with a blue shirt…soft, warm hands still cupped gently around her; piercing grey-blue eyes and chiseled jaw, blonde hair that's half flat, half spiked….

"Chad?!"

She tenses, and almost pulls away until she realizes she's trembling and would probably topple if she tried to run. Chad starts, looking down at her in surprise, which quickly turns to worry as his brows furrow slightly.

"Hey," he says, still in a low voice, the same low voice that had pulled her out of her spiral and back down to solid ground. "You…you ok?"

"I…" Audrey falters, biting her lip. She wants to be indignant and yell at him. How dare he invade her space and touch her like that! How dare he interrupt her while she spirals out of control! How dare he not be Ben!

But instead she steps just a bit closer, leaning into him when his arms go around her.

"No," she whispers, her voice hoarse. "No I'm not."

"Deep breaths," he murmurs back, and Audrey feels a weak stab of irritation.

"I'm not going to freak out again," she snaps, but it falls short when she catches the look in his eyes. It's not harsh or judgmental, or even pitying. It's just a simple, calm understanding, his expression just as open and soft.

"Tell me about it," he says.

And so Audrey does.

She tells him everything; about the VKs and Mal's attack; confessing her own fears and insecurities, her worry that Ben's blind trust was going to put the entire kingdom in danger. Chad listened to all of it, not saying anything, not questioning or interrupting; just held her and listened. And by the end of it, Audrey was secretly glad that it had been him, and not Ben who'd found her.

* * *

 **Chad**

If Chad thought he was pissed at the VKs before, he was downright murderous now. He'd been stalking through the dorms towards the school, then doubled back to head towards the gardens, thinking that that would give him a better chance at a direct route. He's beyond glad that he'd decided on that choice, as he'd stumbled across Audrey in the midst of what he immediately recognized as an anxiety attack.

He'd had his fair share of experience with it before; his mother had almost regularly spiraled in such ways when Chad was younger. He'd watched through cracks of light in bedroom doors as his father had crouched down to her level, his voice hoarse from sleep but so calm and engaged, soft and understanding as he took his mother in his arms and talked her down to earth again. Chad had learned the techniques and memorized the words from countless hours of late night repetitions, but it had usually been his father who took control when his mother spiraled.

Except for that one time...and it was only a given that he would remember it now, as he watched Audrey gasping desperately in a tiled corner of the gardens, tears streaming down her face and her body curled in on itself in an instinctive attempt at defense against an invisible enemy.

* * *

Chad had been about seven, maybe eight. His father had gone to a Council meeting, representing both Charming's in the continuous debates on rounding up villains to send to the Isle of the Lost. It was during one of Cinderella's 'cleaning sprees,' but Chad knew that everything would be fine as long as he could keep her occupied. She didn't ever seem fully aware of herself during these times; her eyes distant and flickering between emotions constantly. But as long as she was busy- working, cleaning the castle, making something in the kitchen; doing anything productive at all- Chad didn't have to worry about the consequences of an episode.

It had been going well, he remembered, if not slightly stilted and awkward. His mother had been more aware than usual, more in control of herself as she'd worked in the kitchen, actually allowing Chad to help her with baking. It was a cake of some kind, like bread, she had told him with a smile. Bread that's sweet and could be eaten any time, even at breakfast. Chad had loved that idea, and had been all too eager to help.

He could almost ignore everything else; forget about his father's absence and the delicate thread that connected Chad to his mother and held her together. He had been smashing bananas with that destructive enthusiasm he was so rarely allowed to express at that age. Chocolate, bananas, eggs, nuts, sugar, flour. It was a simple recipe, a simple moment, and Chad was so engrossed in his task and just enjoying feeling _normal for once_ that he didn't even notice when the thread snapped.

But he did notice when his mother dropped her spoon, the wood clanging hollowly against the metal pan.

"Eggs," his mother said, her voice low and frantic.

"Huh?" Chad said, his brow furrowing as he looked over his shoulder. She was gripping the quartz c-ountertop so tightly he could see the way the blood swelled around her knuckles.

"I forgot the eggs."

Her voice went up an octave, and Chad stopped smashing bananas, panic setting in as he realized what was happening.

"Oh no," Chad whispered, shifting his weight away from his mother's stiff form.

"Oh no," she repeated hoarsely, shaking her head back and forth. "Oh, no, she's going to be so-. How could I forget the eggs?"

Chad looked around desperately, but he knew there was no point. All the servants had been cleared from the place, and his father wouldn't be due back for at least another few hours. It was just Chad and Cinderella, who was growing increasingly panicked, her body trembling hard as her head continued to shake back and forth.

"Stupid," she hissed between her teeth. "How could I be so stupid? Who forgets eggs in banana loaf?"

Chad bit his lip hard, fighting his own fear and straightening slowly. He was going to have to do this. He had no other choice. The anxiety was only just setting in, he knew this. It hadn't quite yet escalated to a full blown attack, and if he could just get her to focus on _him_ and not her memories….

"Mom," Chad croaked, trying to sound firm and failing miserably. "It's ok. It's fine, everyone makes mistakes."

It didn't seem to help much, though she had straightened at the sound of his voice. Chad didn't know if that was a good sign, but he took a cautious step forward, trying to remember what his father did, how he talked, what he said.

"We can use something else instead of eggs, ok?"

"It's ruined," his mother whispered back, shaking her head. "There's no fixing…I'm sorry."

Chad winced at the apology, the high, desperate whimper in his mother's usually composed voice. He was failing…she was starting to slip away from him. He wanted to run from the room, from the house entirely and into some other house. Some other life- a normal one, where both parents were whole and stable and didn't fly into random fits of panic over simple things like forgotten eggs or unfolded bed sheets.

"I'm not mad," Chad said instead, taking another step forward and reaching up to try and grasp his mother's arm. "Ok? Mom? I'm not-"

She flinched so hard when he touched her that the whole bowl of batter crashed to the floor, spilling into the cracks of the tile and splashing lightly over Chad's shoes and pants. His mother froze, her expression stuck in one of horror, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. Chad froze too, not daring to breathe for fear of making things even worse.

Mentally, he kicked himself, cursing his stupidity. Why did he touch her? He knew better than that, knew that when she was spiraling like this that any wrong move would be interpreted as threatening or punishing. Chad couldn't do this. He couldn't do this, this was too much for him. Too much for anyone, how did his father do it?

Chad shifted his weight back, ready to run, to hide and just let it pass and he could explain to his father that he hadn't been able to…it was just too much and-

His mother flinched again, though, ducking her head and recoiling from him like she was afraid he was…Chad felt his heart sink, his stomach opening up to swallow it. It occurred to him in that moment just how wicked the 'evil stepmother' must have been. He'd known, of course, about his mother basically being a slave in her own house, but he had never even stopped to consider that….

He felt his throat constricting, tears stinging painfully at the back of his eyes. He blinked hard, not daring to lift his hand now and wipe them away. It made horrifying sense to him now why his parents, and his father especially, were so adamantly against physically disciplining Chad in any way. Even when the tutors or other parents scolded or criticized, made claims that a 'good smack' would set Chad straight; teach him respect…his father had glared and scolded right back, firm and unyielding because you just didn't. do. that.

You didn't use physical force on someone who couldn't fight back, or who wouldn't understand what they'd done wrong to supposedly 'deserve' it. You didn't strike someone when they didn't listen to you, or threaten or, or hit. _'You can't just hit people when you're angry, Chad.'_ You don't hit people when you're angry and you don't hit children because that's just…evil.

All of that and more ran through Chad's mind, as he suddenly realized just why it was his mother had thought he would hit her. Because, his mind reasoned in morbid, mature tones, a man could forcefully strike a woman with just a jerk of an arm, but for a woman to strike another woman with equal or greater force, it would only stand to reason that she would lean back before the blow…put her whole body into it.

He thought he might be sick, but more movement from his mother drew his attention. She was backed all the way against the counter now, her body bent almost as though she was trying to retreat into herself, her eyes closed tight and one hand partially raised. Trying to protect her head, he realized, but she was shaking so hard it wasn't particularly effective.

"I'm sorry," she pleaded, her voice not her own. That wasn't a regal Princess or a noble Queen. Not the royal, elegant Cinderella she was almost always seen as. That was Cinderella, 'Ella of the ashes,' 'dirty Ella,' 'cinder Ella.'

"I'm sorry," Cinderella repeated. "I can fix it, please. I'll fix it, I promise…don't…"

Chad swallowed hard, stepping over the fallen batter and carefully crouching down until he was on his knees in front of his mother. Her eyes had opened at his movement, but she wouldn't look at him, though Chad doubted he would have even seen _him_ if she had.

"I know you're sorry," Chad said slowly, his voice wavering slightly but mercifully calm. "But it's ok. It was just a mistake, and I'm not mad at you."

She shook her head, her body tense and her eyes wary and fearful. "I'll fix it," she whispered again. "Please, let me fix it."

"I don't want you to fix it," Chad said, his voice a little stronger now. "There's nothing to fix. I'm not mad at you, ok?"

She didn't say anything this time, but she wasn't shaking anymore, and Chad drew a slow breath. She subconsciously copied him, and Chad felt a flicker of hope. He might actually be able to do this.

He took another breath, and again, his mother followed his lead, drawing slower breaths in time with his own. Chad almost cried with relief, but he forced that feeling aside, and instead inched a little closer, slowly and carefully reaching out a hand and placing it on her knee. She didn't flinch this time, and Chad gently squeezed, clearing his throat softly before starting again.

"Mom? It's…it's Chad. Do you…can you…can you look at me? Please?" He was almost begging now, desperate for her to come back to him, but he quickly stopped himself. If he broke now, it could set her off all over again.

"Mom," Chad said again, firmly, but calmly, like his Dad did. "I need you to look at me, ok? Open your eyes, please. Look at me."

She did, slowly lifting her head, light grey eyes a reflection of his own opening to peer at him cautiously.

Chad sighed softly, a tiny smile flickering across his lips. "Ok," he said softly. "Ok, that's good. That's really good, Mom."

* * *

 _"Chad?"_

Audrey's voice, hoarse and confused, snaps him out of his memories and back into the moment. He looks down to see her staring up at him, warm brown eyes clouded with tears and a still-lingering panic, and he starts slightly when she suddenly tries to jerk away from him. He knows even before she does that she won't make it even a step away, not with the way she's shaking, and he has his arms around her before he even thinks about it, holding her close and whispering softly in her ear.

"Hey," he says in a low, soothing voice that had been honed to near perfection over the years. "Are you…are you ok?"

Despite his calm tone, he's still thrown by the suddenness of the situation, and it comes through in the slight hesitation of his words. But it seems to ground Audrey nonetheless, as she starts to offer some kind of response. Chad half expects to hear some kind of indignity, and so he's surprised when she steps closer into his embrace, her fingers coming up to grasp his shirt collar as she shakes her head against his chest.

"No," she whispers in broken tones. "No, I'm not."

He half hears himself asking her to tell him what's wrong, and listens in a stunned sort of daze as she pours everything out to him. To think that it had taken something as horrible as the VKs, something as helplessly terrifying as an anxiety attack to bring Chad closer to Audrey.

Closer, and yet, still so impossibly far. He knows he's crossing a line, feels an instinctive pang of guilt as he thinks that it should be Ben holding Audrey like this. Ben is the one who's supposed to be comforting her and whispering 'it's ok, I'm here' in her ear. But he's not Ben, and Audrey wasn't pulling away from him like she definitely should have. Chad holds her just a little tighter, and determines that for however long this lasts, however long she needs him like this; he'll be there. He's not letting go.

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

Her mother was making her memorize spells again, and Mal couldn't have hated it more. The original thrill of learning magic had worn off long ago, and now she was stuck with rote repetition, repeating meaningless syllables and rhymes and rhythms, earning a sharp slap from her mother each time she misspoke or tripped over the complicated vowels.

Mal thought about the girl she had thrown into the ocean the other day and smiled, stifling a dark chuckle of amusement as she stared down into the worn out pages of the spell book. The little shrimp had guts, Mal would give her that. But she would need to learn her place before Mal would even consider….

 _*Crack!*_

Mal's head snapped sharply to the left as Maleficent struck another blow. She brought her eyes up see her mother glaring at her fiercely, her usually light eyes darkened with sinister green. She drew her hand back again, and Mal flinched in spite of herself, ducking her head in a pitiful attempt at defense. Instantly she knew she'd made a mistake, her mother's voice a dangerous growl.

"What have I always told you?" she hissed, her fingers gripping Mal's chin and forcing her head up to meet her furious gaze. "Dragons to not cower, Mal."

"Yes mother," Mal said lowly, gritting her jaw and forcing herself to continue meeting her mother's eyes, though it wasn't hard with the venomous green overriding her body's instincts.

The next blow was just to be cruel, Mal was sure. She couldn't flinch away even if she tried…and of course, she did. But her mother's gaze was impenetrable, and Mal had no choice but to accept the stinging pain.

"Better," Maleficent rumbled, though Mal could tell she was still not pleased. "We'll work on it. Just because you are young doesn't give you any excuse for weakness."

"I understand," Mal replied dutifully, though her stomach churned resentfully, her cheeks flushed with painful shame.

"Do you?" her mother murmured, her eyes no longer piercing green, but seeming to stare through Mall all the same. "I wonder…"

Mal said nothing, though her jaw twitched slightly to the side as her mother reached down to pick up the spell book.

"You can barely understand the most basic concepts of magic," Maleficent sneered. "How can I expect you to understand what it takes to be evil? Truly strong, for once in your miserable little life."

Mal seethed, and before she knew what she was doing she blurted: "I threw a girl into the ocean yesterday."

She froze as soon as the words were out, and her mother paused her tirade, lifting a cool brow at her in surprise.

"Oh?" she said, and Mal felt like she had been slapped again when she heard the condescending amusement.

"She was trying to challenge me for territory," Mal continued regardless, clenching her fists under the table. "So I threw her into the deep part by the rocks to show her just who was in charge."

"And just who is that?" Her mother said, sounding almost…bored?

"Me," Mal said, but her confidence was gone, the word sounding pitiful even to her ears.

Maleficent chuckled softly, her lip curling dismissively. "Child's play," she hissed. "I expect better than simple squabbles from you, Mal. If you want to earn your name, you have to think bigger! It's all in the details."

"Details," Mal muttered bitterly, her resentment tipping over and lighting in her eyes. Her hands coiled beneath the table in the same gestures she'd seen in the books, imagining a fire coming up to scorch her mother and her stupid criticisms.

Maleficent's eyes widened, a sharp gasp slipping past her lips. "There," she cried gleefully, a smile crossing almost unnaturally across her face and startling Mal so much her eyes lost their green glow.

"There it is," her mother continued, ignoring Mal's unease. "There's my dragon!"

Mal straightened in surprise, a familiar warm flicker in her chest. She hadn't called her 'little dragon' since Mal was five. The affectionate name seemed to have died the moment Mal showed no progress with magic, though she noted that the 'little' part seemed to still be dead.

"That, Mal," her mother said eagerly, stalking forward and leaning over the table towards her. "Hold on to that, right there. _That_ is what it feels like. True power…true evil."

She smiled again, and Mal thought that she would never be as terrified of her mother as when she was smiling.

"Just remember that, Mal," Maleficent said emphatically. "And you will topple kingdoms."

* * *

 **Carlos**

Running is a kind of victory, Jay had told him once on the Isle. If you couldn't fight, at least you could run, and sometimes that could save your life. Live to fight another day. Run, so you could win.

It didn't feel like a victory this time, though. Carlos wasn't being chased- at least, not by anything physical, but he wasn't about to slow down for anything. His heart pounds a frantic sort of staccato in his chest, and he knows if he were to try and say something, his tongue would do the same. He runs out of the gardens and across the fields, barely breaking stride to slam into the doors to the school. He doesn't stop until he reaches the closest empty hallway, and he collapses against an alcove of lockers, his breath coming out in short, heavy bursts.

He brings a hand up and clamps it over his mouth in a desperate attempt to force calm, but a choking sound comes out anyway and he ends up doubling over, his eyes squeezed shut tightly at the burn of tears. He wishes he had Claw, and curses the Fairy Godmother for taking it away from him and leaving him so defenseless. His knife would have been a much better defense in the confrontation in the gardens. Certainly would have at least helped more than his silence.

Carlos still doesn't want to believe it, but now he really has no choice. He had been hoping when he had joined the Auradon kids for breakfast the other day that they had simply misspoken, or were just confused. Aziz couldn't have really had a boyfriend in that way, otherwise they wouldn't have been acting so casually about it. They wouldn't have allowed it in Auradon, of all places. Except Aziz really did have a boyfriend…Aziz really was gay, and Auradon really did allow it.

That alone, far more than the dogs, had made Carlos almost wish he were back on the Isle. At least dogs were straightforward when they attacked you; not like….

 _'We're not the bad guys here,'_ Jane's words came back to him, and Carlos shook his head hard, trying to catch his breath, to remember how to breathe at all.

 _'Things are different here,'_ she had tried to insist, but Carlos had refused to believe it. Still refused, although there was a small part of him that regretted how things had happened at the party- that cringed at the thoughts that went through his head and were echoed in his place by Mal and Evie and Jay.

He had liked Aziz.

That's why he feels so horrified, he reasons. He had liked how Aziz had been like Jay, but still different, how the older boy had instantly accepted Carlos and forced him out of his boundaries. Liked how the other boy had a mischievous streak to rival Evie's, but who hadn't once looked down on Carlos or the rest of the VKs, who had actually given them a chance to just be…people.

Carlos groans miserably, banging his head against the metal lockers behind him. Why hadn't he said anything? He could stand by just fine when it was the Isle, scout out escapes and let the others do the majority of the trash talk or fighting. It didn't bother him then when Mal and Uma would have tense standoffs, hurling insults and vicious curses that would have made even Maleficent grimace in appreciation. And yet, when it was being directed at someone that he had, scarily enough, become _slightly_ attached to; nothing.

Why was this so hard? When had things become so confusing? There was a very clear cut set of rules. He knew this, everyone knew this. So why was he having so much trouble all of a sudden?

"There you are de Vil."

Carlos jumps, opening his eyes and straightening quickly at the sound of the enraged voice. He turned his head to see that the hallway was not quite empty now, a small straggling group of students passing just outside his range on their way to other classes or study halls. But the voice had come from the other end of the hall, and when Carlos looks, it's to come face to face with Chad, the older boy scowling tightly and marching with purpose in his direction.

"Sshit," Carlos whispers, standing completely and stepping away from the lockers to avoid becoming trapped, his eyes instantly scanning for potential outs.

"What sort of game are you playing at, Freak?" Chad spits, his face twisting further as he closes in. "Where do you get off on that kind of shit?"

Carlos pauses his catalog of the exits, (one right behind him, if he wanted to throw himself into the crowd of students. Another behind Chad, if he thought he could shove past and outrun him…tricky timing, though…dangerous, but a necessary risk), looking up at the other boy and lifting a confused brow. He didn't want to engage in any kind of speaking contest; didn't want to give the asshole more of an excuse, but he wasn't quite ready to back down either.

"Don't give me that clueless act, de Vil."

Chad is uncomfortably close now, practically towering over him, and Carlos swallows hard, setting his face into a neutral, but deadly mask.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Chad hisses, and this close Carlos can see every twitch of the other boy's face. "That little stunt you and your villain gang pulled in the gardens with Aziz and Nikki…that's just a whole other level of evil."

Carlos feels his mask drop with his sudden surprise, though even as his expression lifts, his stomach sinks.

"H-how?" he mutters, and Chad scoffs sharply, his eyes narrowing.

"When I found Aziz back at our dorm room instead of at your little 'party' I knew something was up," the other boy says. "But then he got himself all worked up, started talking about the VKs and just what had happened…what you said, and well…let's just say I wasn't about to let it go."

Carlos' body becomes a bottomless pit, everything draining out of him and leaving him empty and boneless against the metal lockers. He just can't seem to win with this, and he realizes, as Chad continues to glower at him, that his only option is to either fight back, or try and squirm his way out somehow.

"Can't even say anything now, can you, de Vil?" Chad spits, and Carlos tenses as the other boy grabs the collar of his shirt threateningly.

"Le-le-le-let go of mme," Carlos growls, though his mind is racing, all his instincts screaming at him to _run! Fight! Something!_

Chad scoffs and does the opposite, gripping Carlos so tightly his fingers pinch his shoulder. Carlos panics briefly; not because of the threat, although it is very much there in his mind, but because he can feel the fabric starting to give under Chad's grip, and this was his only red shirt.

"G-Get off!" Carlos grumbles, struggling to free himself. "You're gonna rrrip it!"

Chad lets go suddenly, and Carlos staggers back a bit, the metal of the lockers cool against his skin. He quickly checks for damage, and though the shirt is definitely worn from the abuse, it's still mostly ok. He sighs softly in relief, then snaps his head up when Chad hisses sharply.

"Are you…fucking with me right now?" the other boy murmurs, and Carlos grits his teeth, shuffling anxiously at the danger in his tone. "You harass my fr-my roommate, and yet the only thing you're worried about is a _shirt?!"_

Carlos stiffens as Chad lunges forward, grabbing him again and practically snarling in his face. "Give me _one_ reason," he spits. "One fucking good reason why I shouldn't make you feel the exact same pain you made him feel? Go ahead de Vil. One reason, I dare you."

Carlos goes entirely still, his racing instincts and panic stuttering to a jerky halt. "I…he…wha-wha-what?"

Chad sneers, anger hardening his eyes. "You really don't care, do you?"

Carlos gapes, unable to process. Aziz was…hurting? In pain, because of what _he_ had done? He barely has time to even think this, as Chad suddenly draws back his fist, and Carlos' instincts come screaming back. Fighting wasn't going to be an option, now. His only hope was to do what he did best…look pitiful and weak.

Carlos presses his back firmly into the lockers, closing his eyes and hunching his shoulders and spine, bringing his arms up to hug his body and protect his vital organs. _Don't hit me_ , his body seemed to scream. _Look how weak and vulnerable I am. You don't want to hurt me, do you?_

It didn't always work; in fact, it hardly ever did. Either he would be laughed at; mocked or humiliated in some way for the weakness, and then beaten anyway; or, in the case of Cruella…Carlos shudders at the memories of her pressing the hot end of her cigarettes to his exposed skin. He tucks himself tighter together, his head firmly wedged between his arms, and holds his breath as he waits for Chad's attack.

After a tense moment, Carlos realizes it isn't coming, and he lifts his eyes to peer through his arms, frowning in confusion. Chad wasn't moving at all, his hands limp fists at his sides and his face pinched with something Carlos couldn't define. It couldn't have been anything good, and he shifts his weight back a bit more until he can feel the metal grooves of the lockers imprinting on his spine.

Chad shakes his head slowly, his expression shifting suddenly into a careful mask. Carlos blinks, surprised. It's not as good as one of his, but Chad's front was still solid enough that he couldn't quite read his intentions. Carlos debates trying to make a run for it, when the other boy moves suddenly, leaning his weight back sharply onto his left leg, twisting his torso in preparation, his face still that cautious mask.

"Sshit," Carlos hisses, his instincts flooding back and forcing his body to move without thought. He flinches back, slamming into the lockers and flinging his arms up again…but he knows it's too late when he hears the unmistakable forward shuffle of movement, and feels cold, furious fingers close around his shirt.

He does the only thing he can think of.

"Ssorry," he whispers through his teeth, hating how weak he must look, bracing for the impact. "I'm-m ssory…."

His body cringes tighter, until he's practically nothing more than a tiny ball wedged between Chad and the lockers. He waits without breathing, stiffening when he hears Chad move again.

"Fucking son of a bitch," Chad snaps lowly, and then lower, so Carlos almost thinks he misheard, "I can't do this."

Chad's fingers loosen on his shirt, and shift so they rest on his shoulder, faltering before lowering suddenly. Carlos feels his heart skip, his stomach fluttering back into place as he cautiously lifts his head. He's entirely thrown to see Chad take a step back, his hands at his sides and his body angled pointedly away from him. It's a trap, it has to be, but Carlos finds himself straightening anyway, his own hands clenching and unclenching rapidly.

"W-what…?" he tries to ask, but stops when Chad jerks his head sharply in the direction of the hallway.

"Just…" the other boy's face twists in a grimace before he steels himself again. "Fuck it, just…follow me."

Carlos blinks. Then blinks again, just to be sure. Chad is still standing there, but it was like all the fight had just been forcibly removed from his body. _It could still be a trap_ , Carlos' brain shouts at him.

"F-f-follow you?" Carlos repeats, as sharply as he can with the 'f' sticking to his lips.

"Yes, follow me," Chad snaps. "What, did I _stutter_?"

And there's the Chad Carlos was expecting; not…whatever he'd been a second ago. He could have sworn he'd seen something like understanding…. Carlos shakes his head quickly, and scowls up at the arrogant prince.

"Ass-hole," he bites out jerkily, and Chad's grimace becomes a familiar sneer.

"Let's go de Vil," he mutters. "Unless you want me to drag you."

"Fuck yyou."

"Dragging it is," Chad grumbles, and steps forward again, so quickly that Carlos doesn't manage to dodge in time.

The other boy grabs him by the shirt again, but the grip is different, somehow. Still forceful, and entirely apathetic to Carlos' yelp of protest…but Chad was clearly making an effort not to yank too hard at Carlos' collar. He'd actually grabbed more of Carlos than the shirt, though the fabric still strained, and Carlos was left with no choice but to desperately scramble along after him, whimpering and cursing the entire time.

"Try and keep up de Vil," Chad drawls, and Carlos growls in response, attempting to kick him and only succeeding in making himself trip.

Chad drags him through the halls until they reach a flight of stairs, and Carlos begins to wonder just where it was he was being taken. He realizes that he should have thought of this before, and the instinctive fear of being trapped somewhere forces him to abandon his hopes of an undamaged shirt and wriggle free. He winces at the slight rip of fabric, and shoves away from Chad, crossing his arms and glaring sourly at the other boy.

"I can climb sstairs by m-m-m-myself," he snaps, and Chad raises an eyebrow at him but says nothing, instead gesturing at the staircase in a grand 'after you.'

Carlos flips him off, but stomps quickly up the stairs, breaking into a full sprint by the time he'd reached the top. This was his chance! Once he reached the top he would keep going to the end of the hall and from there….

He comes to a dead stop, his insides freezing in shock. It was a trap. There's nothing but endless halls, with solid, closed doors on either side. The dorms.

"Going somewhere, de Vil?" Chad says smartly from behind him. Carlos wants to turn around and punch him in the face, but he knows it wouldn't get him anywhere for long. He'd eventually be tracked down again and punished, and then brought right back here.

"Course n-nnot," he mutters back bitterly, moving forward and down the hall at Chad's prompting.

He shuffles moodily, dragging his feet in vain hopes that it would slow down…whatever was about to happen. Then he hears Chad stop behind him, and he jumps when the other boy taps him on the shoulder, spinning around quickly to face him.

"Right here," Chad says, both brows lifted in surprise, before he presses his lips tightly together.

Carlos narrows his eyes at him, but Chad simply knocks once at the door before shoving it open, dragging Carlos in behind him. Carlos had just enough time to catch sight of the number on the door before he's closed in, and he hears a sour, sharp twanging sound behind him, coupled by a sharp intake of breath and a sudden equally sharp:

"Oh, _fuck_ no!"

* * *

 **Jay**

He was about six feet off the ground, clinging almost feverishly to the wooden pole. It wouldn't have sucked so hard if the thing wasn't so fucking high. Or if he'd ever climbed anything like it before. Shame, the Isle was fresh out of 20 foot tall flagpoles to scale. As it was, Jay was stuck with inching his way up bit by bit, his quickly fraying leather cuffs the only thing keeping him from tumbling in a smear stain down the wood.

He grit his teeth and pushes up with his feet, grateful that he'd thought to kick his shoes off before attempting to scale it a second time. His bare feet provided a better grip than the rubbery soles, at least, and he used the little leverage he gained to lean back, jerking his arms up quickly and grasping at the pole. He could almost feel the leather straps straining to keep him in place, but after a moment he grinned, letting out a breathless laugh despite the pain…he'd made it another inch.

From his vantage point he could almost see over the entire tourney field, and Jay frowns as he notices the sudden lack of white tents. He glances back up towards the top of the pole, glowering at the bright pink flag waving obnoxiously at the top. Next time, he vows, before shimmying back down the pole, letting go and dropping the last couple feet. He winces at the brief shock and then straightens, casting one more glance back at the pole before shoving his feet back into his shoes and jogging back in the direction of the party.

Now that he's on the ground again he's able to take full stock of the soreness of his body. The weird, colorful Auradon fairies had actually done a decent job patching him up, but he could still feel the dull ache in his chest from where his ribs were still finishing healing. The stiffness in his arms and legs, however, was pure sport; that familiar athletic burn that reminded him he was alive. Jay had missed that feeling, remembering all those times back on the Isle when he'd accomplished some daring stunt or pulled of a successful heist, that rush of pride and the added reward of aching muscles.

He grits his jaw in a grim smile as he runs, the scar across his chest throbbing and reminding him that not all aches were good ones. He shakes his head hard, trying and failing to shove the thoughts and memories from his mind. To think that all this time, he'd not just been cozying up to the son of Jafar's enemy, but that son was also attracted to dudes…. Jay's jaw twists into a grimace. He was more than confident in his own straightness, but with Aziz…how was that going to reflect on him?

Relationships on the Isle were a tricky thing. They existed, sure, but genuine, _romantic_ relationships were extremely rare, and extremely well concealed. There was no such thing as love or 'attraction' at first sight, or any of that other bullshit Auradon tried to sell. Only casual, fleeting glances and approving calls of insults or slurs, nothing extending farther than finding someone to satisfy the urge for a quick fuck.

And that's not even including the utterly hellish situation that was same-sex relationships. They mostly followed the same base instinct of the Isle; the aforementioned need for something quick and cheap. There was the odd 'couple,' but it still tended to stay within the meaningless nothings; only that if you were 'together' it just meant you had exclusive claims to any and all sex with that person. It was simple enough, really, though ridicule tended to follow any same-sex couple regardless; that a person was that weak or that desperate that they couldn't even follow the one thing nature had intended for them.

But then there was a very fine line between an easy fix and something else, especially with the adults. Propositions came from all sides, and if you were already so inclined it just made you that much easier of a target. And then of course, there were those men who sought out pleasures from any source regardless of any attraction other than….

Jay's stomach pangs uncomfortably as his mind tries to force images onto him; the feeling of the sword against his throat; cutting ruthlessly across his collarbone. Hazy rooms that stunk of alcohol and illegal substances and forbidden touches. Jay trips over his feet and curses, quickly regaining his balance and brushing his shirt in an attempt to compose himself. It didn't matter, he hisses to his traitorous brain, clenching his trembling hands. It happened ages ago, he was over it, it _didn't_ matter!

Except, it did. It mattered because he had thought he'd actually found something in Auradon to be excited about; a kindred spirit who, despite not being a VK, got what it was like. Got what Jay was like, but didn't hate him for it. He'd…he'd enjoyed hanging out with Aziz. But he should have known better. Good things didn't just come to guys like Jay; villains didn't have friends. There was no team in I, and this was just another one of those painful reminders.

Well, Jay didn't plan on forgetting anytime soon. He straightens again, and walks with new determination across the field.

"There's no team in I," he mutters under his breath, his fists swinging sharply at his sides in time with his strides. "There's no team in I. There's no…."

His words falter slightly as he reaches the center of the gardens. All the tents are gone, some pegs still in the ground at odd angles, rough divots in the soft earth telling Jay that the place had been hastily evacuated. Instantly he tenses, drawing his fists partially up and shifting his weight back to his heels as he creep forward slowly. It's not that he expects some kind of sneak attack; the place is too wide open and exposed for that. It's that everything is just so…quiet.

It's unnerving how not-cheery the atmosphere seems to be, and Jay hurries across the stretch that had held the tents of food, towards the gazebos where he'd last seen his group. The gazebos are empty, the fields between them bare, but there's a sharp, static taste in his mouth, a strong, harsh smell in the air. Jay freezes, and crouches low to the ground, eyeing the imprints of feet in the dirt. The footprints are set deep in the ground, all close together, and some with a small hill of dirt in front of them.

He hums quietly to himself as his mind races. A group of Auradonians, no doubt, judging by the narrow tread of what could only be fancy shoes and the clear spiked holes of high heels. And they'd been cowering, or running from something.

"Mal," Jay mutters, straightening sharply and turning on his heel.

He's running before he's even aware of it, reaching the school in no time and slamming through the doors. His beat up sneakers squeak obnoxiously in the hallways, and the students milling around instantly scramble out of his way, shooting him glares and crying out indignantly. Jay ignores them all and keeps going, scanning the signs on the walls and trying to think of where he could find his group. They'd never really been separated like this since coming together…so forcefully and entirely out of control; out of place.

"Jay!"

He comes to such a complete stop that he can practically feel the rubber soles of his shoes leaving an imprint on the white tiles. He turns to see Carlos and Evie sprinting down the hall towards him. Jay almost feels a rush of relief, and then two things occur to him at once. Namely, that there's no Mal rushing towards him either, and both Evie and Carlos' faces are pale and tightly closed off.

He shakes his head once; denial, disbelief?- running forward to meet them and instinctively angling his body to keep them all as concealed from prying eyes as possible.

"Where's Mal?" he demands instantly, and Evie and Carlos exchange a fleeting glance, Carlos' fingers flickering through signs down by his sides. Jay grits his jaw in frustration and tries to interpret, then realizes that Carlos is simply signing the alphabet on a loop; a nervous habit when things were too overwhelming or just so bad that he couldn't talk at all.

"Ah, fucking fuck," Jay hisses sharply between his teeth, bringing a hand up to run through his hair.

"She's in the infirmary," Evie explains in low, frantic tones. "We need to go, _now_."

"Don't need to tell me twice," Jay replies, and they're all off again, Carlos in front, with Evie and Jay behind and on either side like wings.

"What happened?" Jay mutters as they run, Evie directing Carlos with a tap on the shoulder to indicate turns. "The field…there was a weird…"

"We met the King," Evie says in clipped tones. "It didn't go well."

She leaves it at that, and Jay clenches and unclenches his jaw nervously as they approach the infirmary wing. He'd only just left this place and now he was back again. Sure, it wasn't him that was hurt, but the anxieties the sharp chemical smell stirred in him remained. The row of chairs outside the doors were entirely occupied again, and their owners all rise to their feet as Jay and the others approach.

Jay registers Ben, face pinched and worried in the front, but all he can fully focus on is the two adults just behind him and quickly working their way forward. Belle, the Queen sharing Ben's worried and fearful expression, her lips parting and a soft noise sounding from them; as King Beast himself firmly steps past Ben to confront them.

Evie sucks a quiet, but sharp breath, and the formation instantly shifts. Without thought, Jay is now in front, and he keeps one hand outstretched behind him, just enough that he can feel both Evie and Carlos and ensure their security. Jay is startled to see that man is actually taller than him, by at least three or four inches, but he knows better than to let it show. Instead, Jay straightens further, lifting his chin determinedly to meet the beast glare to glare.

"And just what," the 'king' all but growls, "do you three think you're doing here?"

Jay lifts a cool brow, and presses his fingers just a little closer against Evie as he feels her flinch. "S'cuse me?" Jay responds slowly. "I think you were forgetting the part where that's our friend in there. You think we're gonna just stay away?"

The king bristles, and Jay could swear he's actually growling now. It's more than a little disconcerting, but the Queen steps up quickly and places a hand on the king's arm and the sound lessens slightly.

"I made it clear that I didn't want any of you interfering until it was decided what was going to happen," the man rumbled lowly.

Jay feels Evie press back against his hand, and he instantly takes a confronting step forward, refusing to let her do what he knows she wants to and take the blame.

"We only just heard about this now," he challenges. "Again, what else do you expect from us?"

"Perhaps a little bit of respect!" the king snaps sharply, and Carlos cringes, a stifled whimper coming from Evie. "Perhaps a shred of humanity! Though of course, what _was_ I thinking? How silly of me to expect such things from a bunch of _villains_!"

Jay feels all of his anger spike sharply, his fury settling down around him like a cool shroud. He crosses his arms over his chest, subtly tightening his arms and allowing his muscles to flex. He tilts his jaw left and then right, a subtle signal to retreat disguised in the showy bravado of cracking his neck. He feels more than hears both Evie and Carlos shifting back to a safer distance, and Jay is just bracing himself for the impending violence when Ben breaks in suddenly.

"Dad!" he cries, and his voice is strained with horror but surprisingly firm. "That's enough!"

"No it is not enough, Ben," the beast retorts, even more firmly. "It is nowhere _near_ enough. I argued from the beginning that letting villains in to Auradon would only to destruction, but you wouldn't listen to me."

Ben opens his mouth to speak, but a sharp noise from the king cuts him off. The sound is equal parts a warning shout, and something that no human throat should have ever been able to produce.

"You will listen now," the king says, and Ben blinks, closing his mouth firmly and losing just a little more color.

Well shit, Jay thinks, uncrossing his arms and shifting his weight back to join the others. This just might be a better time to retreat than fight after all. No one in the hallway moves; Jay doesn't even think they're breathing, either. All eyes are fixed anxiously on the king, who is so engrossed in his anger that when the door opens, it almost goes unnoticed.

"Oh…I…what?"

The Fairy Godmother's stunned gasping shatters the animalistic tension, and though everyone goes back to breathing, the beast himself is far from relaxed.

"Fairy Godmother," he says stiffly, turning on his heel to confront the older woman. "What is the news?"

The Fairy Godmother is silent for several moments, her eyes wide as she takes in the pale and shocked faces around her, locking eyes with Jay and the others briefly before faltering.

"Yes, well…it's…more complicated than we thought," she finally manages, and almost without thought Jay, Evie and Carlos take a collective step forward.

"Complicated?" Jay asks, and though he doesn't mean it as a threat, it's taken as one, as the Fairy Godmother winces and averts her gaze.

"Mal's magic has, er, placed her into a kind of…coma," she says quietly. "The sudden use of so much power nearly depleted Mal's energy entirely, but her magic responded and rendered her into a nearly zero energy state to recover."

Jay shakes his head, baffled but certain that this was the end. He doesn't dare turn around to see how the others take the news; he feels Carlos loop his fingers through Jay's belt loop, and hears Evie make a choking sound.

"What does that mean, Mom?"

Jay blinks, caught off guard, then realizes that Jane had been among the other faces he had systematically ignored.

"It means, dear one," the Fairy Godmother sighs quietly. "That Mal is sleeping, and will wake again when her magic, and her body, allows."

"I don't…I don't understand," Ben murmurs, and the Fairy Godmother looks like she would rather be anywhere else but here.

"Magic is a complicated thing," she says patiently. "It's not just something that comes preprogrammed like a cellphone; you can't just pick it up and use it however you want. Magic is alive, and extremely volatile when in the wrong…shall I say, _inexperienced_ hands."

"Mal said something like that once," Jay remembers, his mouth blurting the words almost desperately. "She said she doesn't use magic, the magic uses her."

"Yes, it's almost exactly like that," the Fairy Godmother says, and the look on her face is something like pleasant surprise. "When magic is woven so tightly in a person's blood that it essentially makes up who they are: genetically speaking, suppressing it is…not advised."

The last two words are tight and strained, like she's trying to keep herself from yelling suddenly.

"Like the barrier," Ben mutters dazedly, and the Fairy Godmother nods, pursing her lips.

"Exactly. Being bound by the barrier, and then suddenly arriving in Auradon where there's magic everywhere, well…the pressure builds, and the magic explodes in unideal ways."

"Unideal?" The beast is suddenly back in control of the conversation, and there's a collective tensing from the occupants of the hallway. "I'm not sure if you have been told, Fairy Godmother, but that _girl_ tried to kill me."

Jay's head snaps up in shock, then whips around to stare at Evie, searching her face for signs of the truth. She shakes her head once, but her eyes are clouded with fear, and he grimaces sharply before turning back around.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Lonnie pipes up out of nowhere. "I think it was a misunderstanding. A horrible one, to be sure, and I'm not trying to say it's ok, but still. I don't think it was intentional."

"I appreciate your input Lonnie," the beast says, in that tight condescending tone of someone who was set in the belief that they were right. "But I don't believe…."

"From Mal's perspective, you were going to attack them," Lonnie continues bravely, and without regard. "Things had been said in anger and without thought, but anyone could clearly tell that while you were open in your anger, Mal's was muted, and strictly defensive. When you stepped forward, it was perceived as a threat, and she acted accordingly."

"Damn," Jay whispers harshly. It's barely above a breath, but in the suddenly silent hallway, it's clearly heard. Lonnie's lips twitch slightly at the corners, but the rest of her face remains a respectful mask, and Jay finds himself subconsciously adding her to his list of people/things that he liked about Auradon.

"Specifics aside," the beast growls sternly, his tone suggesting that he too, had heard Jay's exclamation and was not pleased. "The facts remain the same, and a solution must be decided. Given the obvious attempt on my life and the multiple other incriminating circumstances, there is no other choice."

The world tilts severely on an axis, the hallway narrowing and then blinking out of existence entirely. Nothing exists except for the words which hang in the air, colliding against each other and shattering out into piercing, lethal fragments.

"I hereby revoke Ben's decree, and rescind the rights of Mal, Jay, Evie and Carlos as citizens of Auradon. As soon as the necessary arrangements are made they will sent back to the Isle of the Lost. This is my decree…effective immediately."


	21. No alarms and no surprises please

**Hi guys! Back at it again with another 2:30 am chapter, but this time not after a whole month! *Hides sheepishly behind laptop screen.***

 **So many new reviewers! Let's get right to it then, shall we?**

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 **Nyehhhhh : Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Hopefully you didn't have to wait too long for this one. :)**

 **Royal One: Welcome to the story and thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much and think I'm doing such a great job. I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **GotNoName123: Hi, welcome to the story and thank you for the review. Yes, King Adam certainly is a piece of work isn't he? Don't worry, he's not a total asshole…except for when he is. ;) I hope you'll continue to enjoy my story!**

 **power214063: I'd say don't worry, but if I did I feel like I'd be creating false hope while also simultaneously spoiling the chapter. So I guess I'm just going to have to be *that person* and be evil and say keep reading!**

 **bookgirl111: Hey, haven't heard from you in a while, it's good to see you're still following along! As to your confusion, yes there was a time skip; we will see what happened in that scene at a later time. Probably a bit of poor writing on my part for not making that clear. Sorry for the frustration, but I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **danifan3000: Haha, I'm glad to see you're so passionate about the Beast, even if it's in hatred. ;) Yeah, I always felt like he just had this negative attitude about him in the movie (Descendants, I mean) that was just never really addressed and more glossed over once everyone got their happy endings at the end of the movie. So I really wanted to highlight his asshole-ness...plus I'm kind of going for the slightly darker/grittier/realistic portrayal of the beauty/beast situation so...yeah. He's a giant asshole.**

 **Anyway, despite that I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Guest 1: Haha, yeah I don't waste any time creating drama! ;) Glad to have you back and all caught up. Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Guest 2: Don't worry, we'll get the reactions in this chapter, lol. Well, some of them. The rest will be a bit more spread out but we will get to them! :) I hope you'll continue to follow along for the ride!**

 **CrazyWill71: Hi welcome to the story and thank you so much for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and think that it's so realistic. That's what I was trying to go for so I'm glad to hear you think I'm succeeding! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **CheshireCat19: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **BlackWidowAndCapRule: I'm glad you're liking the drama! ;) There's plenty more of it in this chapter. Hopefully it came soon enough for you, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Jazz: He is definitely not being a prime example here, is he? But I hope you'll continue to enjoy regardless, and I can't wait to hear what you think.**

 **tradingtruthsforlies: Ooh, I like your username! It's very Loki-esque. :) And yes, the king us very anger inducing, not the least of which to do with his own issues with anger, haha. Thank you for the kind words as well, I'm glad you're enjoying this so much and I hope you'll continue to enjoy.**

 **Kitty Kat Vixen: It's good to hear from you again! I love long reviews, even if it's hard to respond to them fully sometimes, lol so no worries, keep 'em coming!**

 **I definitely expected some kind of WTF response, which may have, I'll admit, spurred my decision in part... ;) But it was also, honestly, an attempt at character development and highlighting how just because he's the/a King now, Adam still has a lot of work to do before he fully shakes his beastly ways. Plus (and you'll see it more in this chapter too) I was also trying to emphasize his beastliness/anger issues for the sake of both realism, and in keeping with the slightly darker take I've got going along with tossing my own personal headcanons and opinions on Beauty and the Beast out there.**

 **And yes, we will definitely get a reconciliation with Aziz, Jay and Carlos, don't worry. (Props though if you can guess who initiates it ;)) And I'm glad you're liking my take on Aziz and Nikhil (you were soo so close! Just one letter!) There will definitely be more of them as well. In this chapter, even.**

 **Whew, getting there. (Might just PM you to finish the last bit of the conversation and just focus on the story for sake of word count, lol)**  
 **I 100% am obsessed with this ship, I mean just the LOOKS he gives her! I can't, I really can't. Although someone also recently turned me on to the idea of Uma/Harry/Gil, and now I can't get the thought out of my head of that either. I agree though, there's definitely alot of complicated backgrounds and I look forward to digging them up and exploring them all with a healthy added dose of angst thrown in because that's just what I do! ;)**

 **And yes, with Cinderella! I mean, all of it, really because, as you said, with all the crap the Disney Princes/Princesses go through (and at surprisingly young ages! Look it up they're not even out of their teens!) it's a wonder we don't have more side effects. Love Disney, always will, but at least for this story I'm going all out and really digging in hard and poking at all the mental sore spots!**

 **Anyway, I will shoot you a PM to further discuss, and in the mean time I hope you enjoy this latest mess my brain has cooked up! :)**

 **Kevin4baconhugs: On my mobile and my phone actually had your name saved into it! Sorry, thought that was just hilariously awesome. I'm happy to hear how much you like my story, especially with all the angst I throw out there, haha. It really means alot that you think so highly of my writing and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Gracfully: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, even if the Beast was being a jerk. Don't worry, we will get some better reactions from everyone, it was just in the moment, no one really knew how to react. But we will definitely get some more positive stuff in there, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **HeirOftheHowlingWolves: Haha, yeah he did, and he's not done yet! It's good to hear from you again, I'm glad to see you're still following along and especially that youre enjoying how I'm portraying Cinderella. I was hesitantto really dig in and 'go there,' but it seems to be working well so I'mma keep doing it! :) I hope you'llcontinue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guest 3: Hi, thank you for the review. I do plan on including Evie more in this story, though in regards to your concern I've actually already answered it in full detail in a previous Author's Note; (specifically, the first Author's Note on Chapter 18- I'm really just asking to leave pt. 2.) Hopefully that will help, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **VanillaAshes: Hello and welcome to the story! I'm so glad to see you're enjoying this so much and how I'm portraying everything. (Although so please feel free to let me know what it is you're not enjoying so much, just so I can get a better idea of what's not working; constrictive criticism and all that good stuff.)**

 **And there's a couple more much more detailed flashbacks in here for you full of D2 characters and everyone's favorite mentally unstable pirate! ;) And I will definitely ring you for ides if my muse fails me, I appreciate your offer. And don't worry I haven't forgotten about my shipping promisies, lol, but it is going to be a little slower of a burn, and of course, with my own little twist on things. ;) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **memories of rain: Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it, even with all the frustrations and drama. And yes, spot on guess, haha. Chad did take Carlos to Aziz, though what happened with that confrontation will be revealed later on. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Nina: Yeah, he really isn't anyone's favorite right now, to be honest. And normally I'd say there's two sides to everything, but at the moment, King Adam's other side is really just being a dick, lol. Regardless, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Jewelz:1642: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, and that you thought the panic attacks were so realistic and accurate. There's definitely alot going down, and I'm excited to see what you think of what comes next. ;)**

 **Fire and Ice 01: Hahahah, everyone is hating the Beast and I'm equal parts amused as crap and also a little nervous because I don't know now if what you'll read will just make everyone hate him more or actually feel something. Well, eitherway, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Tiredandlazy: Haha, and here's me, literally checking every day just waiting for your review! ;)**

 **Lol, yep, I'm totally evil like that and I will gladly take both your hate and your love.**

 **Agreed, Dude talking just really really threw me off, and not in a confused way either more like, why is this necessary, it's not necessary you had something going and then you just made it a children's movie and wwwhhyyy?!**

 **Um, but also like uh...uh...what? I just don't...what? *sits down and dramtically contemplates in just what other ways my entire life is a lie***

 **And yes! Success! Haha, you bet I made you like Chad! Don't worry, I have no intentions of having Kropp be any less of a dill-weed, so it's all good, lol. But yeah, I'm really glad I actually made you feel for and like Chad, and especially with Cinderella's scenes.**

 **In regards to itty-bitty bit Mal and momma Maleficent. I just...that the Mistress of All Evil is a mother at all is what really interested me about Descendants and I really wanted to drag out what that might be like. So like, here she is this proud, otherworldly and all powerful creature suddenly stripped of all of that and the only thing she has left is this child of hers. So she's going to pour her (nonexistent) heart and soul into making sure this kid turns out right- turns out better, because (again) it's all she has left. So she's gonna be tough and she's gonna be cruel and if that's what it takes then that's what it takes!**

 **Also not gonna lie, totally choked on my laughter at the shirt pun, lol. As for the to beast, well you wouldn't be the first reviewer to declare your undying hatred of him! Though I love the sass 'leave the tantrums to Mal, she does them better!' Dying. Dead. Don't worry though, there's no cliffhanger this time... *intentionally leaves the silence hanging just to drag out that 'oh no' feeling.***

 **Haha, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Guest 4: Haha, maybe because that might be exactly what happened? ;)**

 **Shots and Giggles: Hey, it's good to hear from you. :) Yeah, Muse has definitely been my muse for the last couple chapters, lol! And yes, Panic!s videos really are just weird fun, but then the ones that do connect with the songs connect in such strange but profound ways you just sit there like 'woah. Ok then.'**

 **Yeah, just a tad. I actually just bought the first book finally, though I've been reading it sparingly for fear of having all my preconceived head canons shattered, lol. But yes, I did hear and was aware about that! So what had happened was the kiss between Harry and Gil (again, canon in the book(s)) was an ad-libbed moment that the director and the actors themselves came up with. Don't know if they'd read the source or heard about the canon and ran with it, but it was ad-lib but shot and filmed and then later scrapped. Now, we don't know for sure if it was scrapped specifically due to censoring *note the heavy skepticism of that* but yeah, was still bummed to hear they did that.**

 **But was definitely glad about some of the character development they did, especially with regards to Ben, who despite being Princess Ben, DiD, haha; still matured alot from D1. And now that you mention it, I could totally see Lonnie being the School of Secrets girl too. Plus I mean, look at her parents. Need I say more?**

 **In regards to the pirate crew; I just love the idea of it (of them) and the dynamic between the characters so well. I loved Gil too, but a HUGE pet peeve of mine is the whole 'cute but not bright people made to be even more idiotic and demeaning to be funny,' so I had mixed feelings about their portrayal of him. Which really just means that I have free reign in my fanfiction to craft him into something more real while still staying true to the heart of the character they were trying to make, and you bet I had fun with that! ;)**

 **I am going to PM you because I definitely want to continue this thread, but I don't want to take up so much space. But please don't take that to mean I want you write shorter reviews! I love long reviews because it means I've done something so good that people actually want to rant and talk about it. So keep it coming, and keep an eye out for a responding rant from me. ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Excellentsunny101: Hi, welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! Here is another chapter for you, andI hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Guest 5: Your wish is my command! Hopefully this update was soon enough for you and that you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Malifacter0605-XxKINDSOULSxX: Don't worry, the next chapter is here! Hopefully the suspense wasn't too terrible and that you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **EvietoyourMal: Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! I'm so glad you're enjoying it so much. I agree, there would definitely be alot of regression of the VKs and their progress, and that's definitely something that will be brought up in this chapter and in the next couple chapters as everyone tries to figure out what to do. But don't worry, I won't leave you hanging for long! Here's the new chapter and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

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 **Author's Note 1:**

 **Ok guys, we've reached the notes portion. Just a friendly reminder to **read the Author's Notes!** The Author's Notes are your friend and will give you important info and just might save your life so please? You don't have to read all the reviews responses, in fact I say every chapter you can skip those. But please, please don't skip the Author's Notes!**

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 **Author's Note 2:**

 **That being said here's that important info I was telling you about that you can find here. A heads up that the last two flashbacks in this chapter are chronological and are the same event(s) from different perspectives and at different times, as well as these:**

 *** * *Warnings and Triggers * * ***

 **This chapter contains the usual, crude language and some rude humor, but also deals with some heavy and serious topics like death in regards to child abuse and neglect; anger issues and (implied) domestic violence; some mild gang violence; mentions and implications of child molestation and assault; as well as issues dealing with mental health, including mentions of panic attacks, some mild vomiting and mentions of blood, as well as implied and mentioned self harm, as well as thoughts of self harm.**

 **It sounds like a lot, and it is, but I also wanted to make it all clear up front so you could be prepared which is also why these notes are important. The mentions of self harm depicted here come from personal experience, as I've mentioned in a past note, so some discretion is advised.**

 *** * * Warnings and Triggers * * ***

* * *

 **But don't let that stop you all from enjoying the chapter! I swear my list makes it seem worse than it is, but again, having had experience with some of these issues being addressed in this fic, and just keeping with awareness of mental health in general, I just want to make sure everyone knows what they're getting in to, and to be kind and aware yourselves.**

 **Ok? Ok.**

 **Now go and enjoy the chapter! I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

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 **(Also, if you couldn't tell from the chapter title, I've been listening to alot of Radiohead while writing this one. I make no apologies.)**

* * *

 **Ben**

Ben sits in numb silence in the conference room of the infirmary wing, his parents' words bombarding him relentlessly from both sides. They echo more like a hollow buzzing in his ears, not quite sound but registering all the same; bristling cold on one end and burning hot on the other.

"You can't do this!"

His mother's voice is urgent, but low enough that it doesn't carry through the walls. His father paces a furious and apathetic circle around her, his jaw grit tightly together while his lips pull back in a grimace that reminds Ben, terrifyingly, of a wolf snarling at its prey.

"I am the king, I have more than enough jurisdiction to-"

"This is _Ben's_ decree…"

"Auradon is **my** kingdom! And I will not have those villains here a second longer!"

"So what…you'll just throw them out like we did their parents? And what about Mal? You'd really…"

"After that attack? Yes, I really would."

Ben sucks a quiet breath, the hopelessness of getting his father to see reason sinking in deep. His mother lifts her chin to level his father with a severe look, momentarily pausing his furious rampage.

"Then you'd be no different than the very villains you despise so much. They are _children_ , Adam! How can you possibly…?"

"It is not your decision to make…."

"That's true," she counters smoothly. "And it is not yours, either. You relinquished control of this over to Ben, therefore…"

"I'm not going to discuss this any further. I am still the king, and as long as that holds true, it is not your place to question the decisions I make!"

 _Whoa_.

Ben's head snaps up sharply, his eyes flickering between the forms of his parents. Subconsciously he realizes that he'd tucked himself a little harder against the wall, and he straightens quickly, frowning at the strange ideas his mind tries to impress on him. His father towers over his mother, the strange snarling grimace far more apparent now. His breathing is harsh and comes out in a vicious growl that sends painful chills down Ben's spine.

It occurs to him, in that moment, that just because his father was human, didn't necessarily mean he wasn't still a beast somewhere underneath. Ben's eyes stray unbidden down to his father's hands, with are curved into loose, but powerful fists and that tremble slightly with each angry breath.

"Ben," his mother says suddenly, startling him from his terrified reverie. "Why don't you go find your friends?"

Her voice is deadly calm, devoid of inflection, and when she says nothing more, Ben lifts his eyes to see that she is staring calmly into his father's furious face. Her own eyes are sorrowful, but determined, and not at all horrified like Ben expects them to be. He casts another look at his father to see that his hands are no longer trembling, a strange sort of stillness in them, almost like a calculated preparation for…something.

Ben draws a tight breath of his own, and shakes his head slowly, taking a half step away from the wall. "I don't think…"

"Now, Benjamin," his mother says, and he knows better than to argue with that.

He swallows stiffly and crosses to the door, wanting to look back but not daring for fear of what he might see. He hates himself, cursing his cowardice and half debating whether he should storm back into the room and demand for calm and an explanation, but then the door clicks firmly behind him, and Ben finds himself resolutely locked out.

He hesitates a moment, holding his breath and listening desperately at the door, not quite knowing what it is he's dreading to hear. There's nothing for a moment, then his mother's voice starts up again, softer than before. He can't make out what she's saying, but her tone is heavy and dark, yielding for nothing, and he decides he doesn't want to be there any longer and breaks into a run down the hall.

Ben is met halfway by Chad, who is followed closely by Audrey, Jane, Lonnie and Doug, their faces flushed and frantic.

"Ben, there you are," Chad gasps, and Audrey instantly slips past the other boy to wrap Ben up in a quick but solid hug.

"We've been looking everywhere," she says to his chest, then pulls away, her eyes serious as she looks up at him. "What…Ben you're shaking."

He realizes belatedly that he is, but he shakes his head hard and bites his lip. "It's nothing." He manages the lie quite well, considering, and he forces himself to stay calm. He wasn't going to lose control of himself like his father had just done. "What is it?"

"Emergency meeting in the library," Chad says, his grey eyes like steel. "Now."

"Wait," Ben tries to protest weakly, remembering the last time he'd been pulled aside suddenly like this. "Can…can you explain what's going on?"

Chad exchanges a glance with Audrey, of all people, and his girlfriend gives a minute shake of her head. Chad's eyes flicker with something too fast for Ben to interpret, but then the other boy shakes his head as well.

"No," he says, without hesitation. "Library, come on."

Ben has no real choice but to follow, and there's nothing but the sound of their collective feet hitting the tile and the harsh, off beat synchronization of breath. They reach the library sooner than Ben had expected, and Lonnie stops and holds the door open for all of them, offering Ben a tight, fleeting smile as he slips past her. The librarian doesn't even look up at them as they enter, simply hisses: "SHHH!" before returning to her stack of books to rearrange on the shelves.

Their previous circle of chairs and cushions is set up once again, though not entirely empty as two figures sit enfolded in each other on the narrow sofa. They seamlessly slide into a more casual position as Ben and the others approach, though Ben notices that Nikhil makes it a point to keep one arm linked firmly in Aziz's.

"Good, you guys are here," Chad murmurs as he tugs a chair away from the loop to sit in it. "I wasn't sure if…"

"We're here," Aziz says shortly, cutting him off. "So tell us what this is about."

"Right," Chad says, dropping abruptly into his chair and eyeing his roommate warily. "Are you still pissed that I…?"

"Extremely," Aziz deadpans, not even blinking. "Why are we here?"

"I called this emergency meeting to talk about…about the VKs," Chad says slowly, and Ben blinks dully at him, not quite understanding.

"I thought you didn't…," he begins, then stops and shakes his head. "It doesn't matter either way. Guys, my dad is…."

"Hang on," Chad cuts across him. "It does matter, but I wanted to meet because I just-"

"My dad is sending the VKs back to the Isle."

That seems to get a suitable reaction. Jane jerks sharply with a gasp, her eyes widening; Lonnie grimaces knowingly and shakes her head; while Aziz stiffens on the sofa, Nikki's arm tightening just a little further around him. Doug is quiet, but he looks vaguely troubled by the idea. Chad gapes a moment, just as stunned, before shaking his head slowly.

"No," he murmurs quietly, his jaw sharp as he grits his teeth. "Wait…no, he can't do that."

Ben is surprised by the denial in Chad's voice, and he tries to meet Audrey's eyes for some kind of explanation, but she, too, is focused on the other boy.

"I…there's not really anything to say, Chad," Ben says softly, his own denial and sadness darkening his tone and lowering his voice. "My dad's made his decision, and there's no turning him from that."

"Well we have to make him turn," Chad snaps jerkily, before lifting his eyes quickly, his expression instantly softening into something more subdued. "Sorry, sorry," he mutters, closing his eyes and hissing between his teeth. "Fuck this is…hard."

"They can't go back to the Isle," Jane cuts in, eyeing Chad cautiously before focusing intently on Ben. "They just got here…it hasn't even been a week and…and what about giving them a chance?"

"You're not saying anything different than what I want, guys," Ben offers weakly, sinking further into his chair. "I don't know how I'm going to make him see that."

"Well you're going to have to make him see," Lonnie says sternly, leaning forward in her seat to glare at him. "I mean, who knows what we'd be sending them back to?"

Chad raises his hand slowly, his lips twitching in bitter mockery of a smile. "I have an idea," he drawls, his voice tight. "It's not a good idea."

"Anything is better than nothing," Doug tries, but Ben has a horrible suspicion that that's not what Chad meant.

"I ran into Carlos in the hall on the way here," Chad says, his eyes flickering briefly towards Aziz and back again. "Originally, I was going to yell at him for what happened in the garden, and I did, a bit. But then I realized everything about de Vil was just…too familiar."

Ben furrows his brow, and this time when he turns his head he does catch Audrey's eye, though she seems just as unsure as he did.

"Something else happened in the garden?" Ben presses carefully, but even as he asks, it suddenly comes back to him; remembering seeing Aziz and Nikki storming away looking upset….

"Thanks for bringing it up again Chad," Aziz growls sarcastically, his frown more an aggressive pout. "I was trying to suppress that and pretend it never existed, but so much for that."

Nikki flicks his boyfriend's ear in disapproval, and Aziz winces before scooting a little ways down the couch and out of range.

"What happened?" Ben asks wearily, too drained and tired of the roundabout conversation.

"Turns out the VKs don't like same-sex relationships, or the people who engage in those relationships," Chad explains quickly. "Some things were said. We'll leave it at that."

Aziz gives a brief, grateful nod, but he's still far too sullen, though Ben doesn't quite blame his attitude now.

"Oh," he says quietly, disconcerted. He would never have guessed that….

"Yeah," Chad says briefly. "Anyway, point _is_ I ran into Carlos and I noticed…there were some things that reminded me of…of my mom."

 _Oh_. Ben straightens, and fixes his friend with a concerned look. He tries to find the right words, and though his heart feels for the obvious pain Chad is in, his head and stomach revolt at the implications.

"It was just...too surreal." Chad shakes his head, but it's far from amazement. "And I don't think we should do anything until we get to the bottom of what things are like over there. Really like, not just what they tell us in history class."

"Agreed," Lonnie says instantly, straightening in her chair, though Ben notices a certain edge to her posture that he doesn't want to think into.

Aziz and Nikki are both silent, but they nod when Ben glances their way, troubled expressions on their faces.

"If we can present proof," Doug says carefully. "Definite proof that sending the VKs back to the Isle would be more dangerous than keeping them here, and convince the counsel of the facts, then there is a chance."

"The council?" Ben repeats, suddenly nervous.

He'd always hated going before the council for anything. They made him feel like he was just a little kid playing at being a wise, grown ruler. It wasn't even anything they said, really; just his own doubts. But he'd had a hard enough time convincing them to support his decree, and now, the thought of trying to convince them of something as delicate and volatile as this…suffice to say Ben wasn't fond of the idea.

"Yes, Ben," Doug confirms patiently. "If there's going to be any hope, we need to convince the council. Sure your dad's the King and his word is law, but even the council gets a say in his decrees. It's part of what makes Auradon the United Kingdoms and not just the typical medieval tyranny scenario."

"Ok, but how exactly did you guys plan on figuring this out the first time?" Chad asks, and though his voice tries to convey sarcasm, Ben can hear the undercurrent of emotion. "I mean, what…were you just going to go up to them and _ask_?"

"It was…something along those lines," Ben admits ruefully, though when Chad fixes him with a look he realizes just how terrible the idea would have been.

"Right," Chad says, and his voice is even more tightly clipped and sarcastic. "I can guarantee you that if it's anything like what I'm thinking then the whole 'tell me how terrible your life is' approach _really_ isn't going to fly."

Ben winces, and feels a horrible pang of déjà vu as he recalls the last time they'd broached this subject with Chad. It wasn't something he wanted to repeat.

"Well how would you suggest going about it, then?" Doug fires back, when Ben remains silent. "Because right now we don't have a lot of time to be delicate."

"Whatever we decide, we need to do it now," Chad declares, though Ben can feel his hesitation.

Audrey is too quiet, her lips pressed tightly with worry and her eyes flickering with conflict. Ben reaches over and threads his fingers through hers, and she starts slightly, looking up at him with surprise.

"You ok?" he murmurs, though he's aware that with their current location everyone can hear. "You're really quiet."

She blinks, and it's almost like she's just realizing that she was part of a conversation. She nods at him, but Ben can see the reluctance in her eyes, and he squeezes her hand a little tighter.

"Audrey?" he presses gently, and he watches as she makes a decision, sitting up straighter in her chair and gazing resolutely around at all of them.

"I think we should be careful," she says, and the severity with which she says this catches Ben off guard. "I know that terrible things have happened, and probably will keep happening, but I don't think we can afford to rush into this."

"I…Audrey…" Ben tries to protest, but she presses her lips tighter together and he tapers off weakly.

"I know you always want to see the best of people and of the situation," she says without quite looking at him. "But the VKs have already proved that they can be dangerous, and as much as I want to _believe_ that Auradon is the best place for them, I think we need to be really, really careful with how we handle this."

On the sofa, Aziz and Nikki wear pensive expressions, though Ben notices that Doug, Lonnie and even Jane seem to be seriously considering Audrey's words. It shocks and terrifies him, remembering his dad's own furious statements and wondering if this is really where things were going to end.

"That being said," Audrey continues suddenly, and Ben feels her fingers twitch tighter around his. "I think if there really is something more going on that we can't see, the best approach is to go at it from different sides."

"Jane and I can keep doing research here," Doug offers. "She's had some more personal experience with Carlos, and we can bounce ideas off of what we find."

"I'll take Mal," Lonnie says instantly, her tone willing, but also brokering no arguments.

"Are you sure?" Ben tries anyway, suddenly feeling out of control of everything. "My dad said…"

Lonnie scoffs sharply, her eyes sparking intently. "Please," she says dismissively, and crosses her arms in a gesture that reminds Ben strangely of Jay.

"Ok," he says slowly, dragging the word out to more than its two syllables. "Aziz? Nikki?"

"I think, for the time being, it's best we stay out of this," Nikki says delicately, each word carefully pronounced.

"Too hard to be impartial or in any way unattached," Aziz finishes, slightly less delicately, though Ben does note the flicker of regret that flashes across the other boy's face before disappearing.

"I guess that just leaves…I'll go talk with the rest of the VKs and see what I can find out," Ben decides, though he feels decidedly less sure than the others felt.

"I'm coming too," Chad says quickly, and so intensely that it takes Ben a moment to register the words apart from the emotion.

He's distracted by Lonnie, who snorts and mutters something under her breath. Judging by the sharp disapproving look Doug shoots her, Ben can pretty much guess as to what was said. He focuses on Chad, who was halfway out of his chair and still fixing Ben with a focused look.

"You want to come with me, to talk to the VKs," Ben repeats slowly, just to be sure. "You. And the VKs."

"Are we going or not?" Chad snaps impatiently, and Ben stands from his seat as well, skeptical but also vaguely relieved that someone else was going to do this with him. Even if that someone else was Chad.

"Audrey?" Chad says, and Ben instantly turns to her, horrified at himself. How could he have forgotten…? Why was _Chad_ the one who…?

"I'm…," she stops short of saying 'fine' or 'ok,' and the knowing look that passes between her and Chad fills Ben with a horrible, twisting feeling in his stomach. "I'm going to see if I can talk to my parents," Audrey finishes, and before Ben can adequately begin to compose a proper response to _that_ particular Pandora's box, Chad had already whispered luck and Audrey was already on her way to the door.

"Yeah," Ben murmurs dazedly. "Ok."

"We'll meet everyone back here before dinner then," Chad is saying, though Ben barely hears. He's still trying to determine what the twisting, sinking feeling is in his gut, and whether or not he should be concerned. It isn't until they're halfway to the dorms that Ben figures it out. It's jealousy.

* * *

 **Carlos**

One time, when he was about two years old, Cruella had argued with the dark-haired man that always came to visit them. He couldn't remember all of it; he'd been too busy hiding under the stained mattress, terrified of his mother's wrath. But he remembered it had been about him, somehow, and that after the man had left, Cruella had dragged him out from under the mattress and said that the two of them were going for a drive. The 'drive' had turned out to involve the closed in shed that counted as the garage; the running car with Cruella and Carlos firmly secured inside; and, as far as Carlos could remember, about an hour and forty-five minutes.

More specifically, it had only been an hour and forty-five minutes that Carlos was _aware_ of. He'd cried himself sick after twenty minutes, and after about another thirty his body had started to shut down on him. The only thing he could remember vividly about the event was an image of Cruella, strapped into the front seat, holding the stuffed Dalmatian to her chest and crooning lullabies.

When he was four (because of course, they had survived that, somehow) Cruella had decided in a sudden fit of rage that she hated Carlos' freckles and that they had to come off. The only suitable option for this had been to throw him in the giant wooden tumbler used to clean her fur coats, because 'if it can clean my beautiful furs it can certainly clean the puppy's spots.' It hadn't.

The last (read: most recent) time she'd tried to kill him, he'd been about seven, and sometimes Carlos liked to be generous and say that it had been an accident.

Now, the only thing going through Carlos' head was how creative would Cruella be this time coming up with a new way to kill him. The nightmares of being locked in the fur closet again drown out everything else in the room; half-colored in sketches of blood and pain and bitter, ashy cigarettes that burned patterns into his skin. No one was going to know where she buried his body…would she even bury him? Oh Hades, she was definitely going to turn him into a coat!

Carlos' stomach heaves as he remembers all those times she tried to force him to skin something for her on the Isle. His mind conjures up the only just-forgotten memories and before he's even fully aware of his body's actions he's vomiting up the pastry he'd had from Jay's food stash that morning.

"Breathe, Carlos, that's it," a voice says suddenly from right above him. He tries to flinch away but there's no directions, nothing existing he doesn't exist anymore. Is he already dead? He must be…this is what Cruella always promised him death felt like.

"Just breathe Carlos," the voice says again, and he's acutely aware of pressure on his back. He chokes, suppressing another heave and desperately throwing himself backwards and away from the violating presence.

"…going to be ok…"

"…not…hurt you…."

"'Los?"

"Carlos!"

He grits his jaw around his tongue and bites down as hard as he can. Then, when his body cringes back in instinctive protest, bites down harder until he tastes copper. It almost makes him want to throw up again, but he shuts his eyes tight against the world and buries his head in his arms, grinding his teeth together in a desperate attempt to stay grounded. If he could just focus on this pain…ignore the fact that he couldn't breathe and just…stay focused….

"Carlos, _please_."

Evie's voice, he realizes sluggishly. Evie's hands that were reaching through the dark for him. He gags on his next breath, his body refusing to let the air reach his lungs and he heaves violently, sobbing in desperate attempts to stay alive.

"It's going to be ok," Evie murmurs, her hands retreating, her voice seeming to echo from down a long cavern. "We're going to be ok, Carlos. All of us. No one is going to hurt you."

"Sshe's go-go-go-go-going to kill mmme," Carlos coughs out, the air suddenly hitting his lungs in a sharp and violent spasm of breath. "She's going to k-ill me."

"She'll have to go through us first," Evie promises fiercely, and Carlos shakes his head hard even though he knows in the back of his mind that she won't see it.

"Sshe wi-will," he declares, just as fierce, if not muted. "She'll go ttthhrough and then she-she-she…."

"Carlos, listen to me."

Evie's voice is instantly captivating, that kind of intensity that forces your attention. Despite the blood and tears that fill Carlos' mouth and threaten to drown him again, despite the panic, he finds himself stifling his heaving breaths and focusing on Evie.

"Cruella is not going to get her hands on you." She says it like it's fact, like she's already made sure of it and is simply telling him so he knows. "She is not going to kill you. She won't even look at you if you don't want her to. We'll make sure of it."

His mouth is still full of blood and his body is cramping from folding in on itself, but his lungs aren't malfunctioning and Carlos finds himself slowly inching forward. Evie's eyes light with relief, and her fingers are gentle as they comb through his hair before suddenly seizing on a white lock and tugging.

"Ow!" Carlos whimpers, ducking out of her reach and grimacing at the suddenly stern glare she fixes at him.

"Don't scare me like that again," she says sharply, before melting and pulling him into what's as close to a hug as they get on the Isle. "Now come on, let's get you cleaned up and then we can strategize. Jay's come up with an idea to maximize our rations and scavenging system so by the time we get back, we'll have enough Auradon treats to last us a month."

He feels his lips tugging back into a weak attempt at a smile, but he's sure the effect is ruined somewhat by the blood still staining his mouth. It's starting to wear at him again, and he sprints into the bathroom before Evie can say anything else, bending blindly over the sink and spitting sharply until he can't taste it anymore. Then he fumbles for the faucet, eyes still clenched tightly shut. His hands cup the water and he rinses out his mouth, wincing as the water hits his cut tongue.

Only once his mouth is clear can he fully breathe again, and Carlos opens his eyes, watching as the water runs diluted pink down the drain. He blinks at himself in the mirror, not quite recognizing the figure he saw. His hair was still the same, sort of; it seemed almost darker at the roots than it had been before, the white blonde fade more noticeable. He wasn't as pale (panic attack not withstanding). He could actually suck his cheeks in to make them go hollow now, instead of the painful, normal hollow he'd been used to.

He didn't want to go back to the Isle. Not just because his mother was there. He had really started to like it in Auradon…even if it had only been seven days. He liked how clean everything was, and how bright. Mal might claim to hate all of the colors, but he had caught her staring in awe at everything when they'd first arrived too. Carlos had felt like he could maybe be…happy. For once. To have it all snatched away again…to be sent back to that darkness and pain after experiencing a life that was worth something…that was true evil.

He grimaced, baring his teeth and twisting his face into his fiercest mask. But his eyes weren't dark and cold anymore. Despite the vicious snarl, they sparked brightly with an energy that they had never possessed back on the Isle. He dropped his mask, staring pensively into the eyes of the looking-glass Carlos. Slowly, he loosened his jaw, relaxing the muscles in his face and forcing his brow to stop furrowing. This was better, he mused, but still not quite right. His eyes were too full of…life, for neutral. He almost didn't want to, but he forced his muscles to comply, shifting and contorting his cheeks and lips until they pulled upwards into what could be taken for a smile.

It fit much better with the fullness in his eyes, if only marginally so. Carlos thought about Jane, laughing at all his faces but still able to see _him_ beneath them all. Her promise that he would fit in here at Auradon, that there was something good that he could do with his skills. His memories caused his heart to lift further, his eyes brightening. This time when he smiled, it fit almost perfectly.

As he left the bathroom, Carlos silently promised that no matter what happened, he wouldn't let himself forget how to do that.

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

"Now remember, Mal," her mother was saying, in that tight tone of voice that meant 'this is important' and 'listen to me.' "Magic isn't something to take lightly. This is very serious, and very dangerous."

 _Like me_ , Mal thought viciously, her hands twisting under the table. _I'm a dragon, and what are you? Just a little shrimp._

"Magic isn't yours. You do not _use_ magic; magic uses you."

 _How about I show you just how powerful I am?_ Mal thought, fighting against the sneer that wanted to curl her lips, focusing on the motion of her fingers instead, imagining flames in her palms. _You wouldn't look so smug then._

"I can only teach you the basics; it's up to you to make something of yourself and earn your full name," her mother intoned severely. "Now, when you harness your magic- and that's all it really is for now; you are the vessel- it might only manifest itself in little sparks at first. But then it will lead to so much more, if you're truly willing to learn and- _Are you listening to me?"_

Mal stiffened at the sudden spike in her mother's tone, her eyes flickering up to meet furious green.

"Yes," she whispered, instantly darting her eyes away while she still could.

"What was I saying?" Maleficent demanded, and Mal straightened, instantly reciting.

"You said that magic isn't something to be used, it's harnessed. I'm the vessel for the power, and I might not make more than sparks at first, but once I learn more…" she finished with a wicked smile, feeling her own eyes light with green as she imagined what she'd do to that muddy little shrimp.

"That's my little dragon," her mother hissed with that fierce pride she so rarely showed now. "Someday, the two of us will…"

"Mama," Mal interrupted, and despite the sudden glare Maleficent threw her in response, she found herself plunging ahead. "Do you love me?"

Maleficent went entirely still, her eyes suddenly a much brighter green. "You are eight years old, Mal. Haven't I told you that you're too old for such babyish names?" She said slowly, her voice devoid of emotion. "Now, then. The barrier won't allow for much in terms of expressing your magic, which is why if you ever get off of this rock, the transition will be painful. But I know…"

"Mother," Mal said, too sharp. Too urgent. "Do you love me."

 _'At least_ my _mother loves me.'_ The shrimp had screamed in her face, laughing despite the blood that tangled with the seaweed in her hair. _'Yours wouldn't know what love was even if she cut out her heart and gave it to you.'_

And sure, it had been twisting the fairytales, and yes, Mal had made her scream in other ways for that comment; but the words had been like ice as they slid down Mal's back, and even though the moment had long past, the chill they left behind stuck with her.

Mal watched as the green left her mother's eyes, her arms lowering from the dramatic pose they had been in. Mal grit her jaw in determination and lifted her head to continue staring at her mother as she slowly drew closer to the table.

"Where did you get such a foolish idea from?" Maleficent murmured, and though her tone was disguised as thoughtful, Mal could detect the danger just underneath. "Really, Mal?"

She tried not to blink, to not feel as though she had swallowed one of Jay's poisons. Seeing as she had done just that a few weeks ago, the comparison here wasn't all that dissimilar. There was that same acid burning in her throat, the fire as it hit her stomach. The lurching, wrenching feeling in her gut as her insides tried to tear themselves apart. And then, the slow, debilitating calm that came over everything as her body went into shock…

Maleficent turned away with a sharp snarl of disgust. "I thought I raised you better than that. This isn't Auradon."

"But do you love _me_?" Mal demanded, feeling the tears well up in spite of herself. She had to say yes. She had to say of course I love you, even if this is the Isle and there's no true way to show positive feelings without danger. You're my little dragon. My daughter. Of course….

"Love is for fairytales, Mal."

 _At least my mother loves me._

Mal decided that she was going to kill the shrimp next time.

* * *

 **Evie**

Evie eyed the tear in the collar of Carlos' shirt with a practiced wariness. The boy in question sat beside her, attempting to shrink into the cushions on the bed. If it weren't for the fact that he was still clearly shaken about going back to the Isle, or the strange, half-dazed look he'd had on his face when he'd finally exited the bathroom, Evie probably would have torn his head off for daring to ruin the fabric. As it was, she simply sighed sharply and clicked her tongue, frowning as she ran her fingers along the edges to feel for a seam.

"How did you even manage this?" She asks the tuft of white hair, which shivers before disappearing further into the cushions.

"Can it be fi-fixed?" The bed sheets ask her, and Evie sighs again, shaking her head.

"Well, _I_ can fix it, of course," she says haughtily, pinching the tear between her fingers in one hand, while rummaging for some pins in her sewing bag with the other. "I just can't believe you weren't more careful."

"Nnot my fault." The pillow mumbles mournfully, and Evie scoffs before hissing in pain, withdrawing her hand from her sewing bag and shaking it out with a wince.

"You-you-you-you ok?" The mattress dips as Carlos shuffles himself to peek up at her, and Evie nods, rolling her eyes at his concern.

"Just pricked my finger," she replies with faux-cheer. "A couple more pricks and maybe a Prince will show up and save me from the Isle. And by me…I mean us, duh."

She laughs quickly, but the dull throb in her finger from the needle is still there, and she clenches her fingers into a fist, trying to ignore the heavy throb that echoes in her chest; the dull, phantom stinging in her arms that builds with the throbbing in her heart, the longing ache for something _more_. She tries to shove those thoughts aside, but the ache is still there, and she purses her lips, pressing the edge of her nail into the imprint left by the needle. The slight increase in dull, throbbing pain is marginally better, but not enough to make that hollow feeling go away entirely, and she's just started a sickening debate with herself about whether she could really afford to…

"E?" Jay's voice snaps her back to reality, and she looks up to find him staring at her closely, a heavy, knowing look on his face. It annoys her instantly, and she shoves the sewing bag away, folding Carlos' shirt into a delicate square.

"I'm fine, Jay," she glares at him pointedly, ignoring the tiny part of her that knew she was far from it. "It's just a pinprick; not like a spinning wheel or something."

"Would you prefer a spinning wheel?" Jay counters slowly, and Evie is very much aware of the sudden shift of subtext; knows exactly what he's trying to do.

"No," she says, enunciating the word as firmly as she can with just one syllable.

He eyes her warily, and Evie feels her face twist into a scowl in spite of the crease it causes between her eyebrows. She's just about to let him know just what she thinks of his hyper-sensitive concern when footsteps sound outside their door, followed immediately by a hesitant knock.

Carlos shoots up from the bed, the pillows and blankets sprawling awkwardly onto the floor. "Sssomeone's at the d-door," he says, his eyes wide.

"Thank you Carlos," Evie snaps tightly. "We couldn't tell from the obvious knocking."

She regrets her tone instantly, as Carlos shrinks away from her with the crestfallen look of a kicked dog. The comparison is a little on the nose, but she feels bad about it all the same.

"I didn't mean…" she begins, but Jay is already at the door, one hand on the knob and the other extended to keep Carlos in place beside him.

"What do you want Ben?" Jay all but snarls, and Evie lifts an eyebrow at him in surprise.

"How…how'd you know it was me?" Ben's voice comes uncertainly through the door, and Jay snorts, turning the handle.

"Well it was either you or…." His words fall short as the door opens fully, and Carlos yelps and darts back towards the bed, while Evie stands quickly.

"What. Is. He. Doing. Here." Jay says, pronouncing each word in dangerously clear syllables.

Chad Charming stands between Ben and the open doorway, and though he had borne an expression of vague disinterest, it morphs into something tight and heavy when his eyes meet Carlos.' The emotion; whatever it was, quickly dissolves into disgust, and Evie finds her head spinning from trying to keep up with the sudden shift.

"Don't ask me," the blond boy drawls with a sneer. "Ben's the one who decided he wanted back up."

Something is happening with this conversation, Evie pointedly tells her brain, a small thrill going through her. Something is happening with this conversation and it's important and no one is going to say what they truly mean and we need to analyze and pick apart everything. She takes a small step closer to Jay, steadying Carlos with a look before turning back to Ben.

"You might as well come in," she says, bringing up all that heavy aching and longing into her voice and pushing it out into the air. "We were just packing."

Success. Ben flinches, his face twisting with a grimace. Chad makes a tight lipped scoffing sound and strolls easily through the door, completely ignoring the death threats Jay was sending his way.

"I can't say Auradon won't be improved with you no longer causing chaos, de Vil," he drawls, and if Evie is surprised at the focused way he seems to be addressing Carlos specifically, she doesn't show it.

Instead she picks apart Chad's words, and thinks hard about the soft little skip the other boy's voice had done when he had said 'de Vil.' Like he was going to call Carlos something else, but had decided on that at the last possible second where thought becomes speech. If she didn't know any better, she would have said it sounded like regret. But this was Chad, and she did know better, so she dismissed it.

"At least do us all a favor," Jay growls to Ben, while still glaring murderously at Chad. "And don't start saying things like 'sorry' and shit."

Ben looks so stunned and lost, Evie almost feels bad about it. She finds herself instead regretting her interest in him. Not that it wasn't still there, of course; but in this moment at least, he's so child-like in his hurt that it's hard to take him seriously. He fidgets with his hands, twisting something-a ring, she assumes- on his finger, and looks around at them all with miserable eyes.

"Listen, guys," he begins, and Jay groans in disgust, shoving roughly past Chad and snatching up a stray vest from the floor. "I know that my Dad said, but I just want you to know that I don't think of you that way, and that there is still a place in Auradon for you."

"That's up for debate," Chad mutters, folding his arms and backing himself against the doorframe and out of Jay's reach.

Evie wouldn't have thought much of the comment, except Ben instantly shoots the other boy a frustrated look, and she starts reading into his tone more. It was snarky, but not quite mean-spirited. More like he was stating an unpleasant fact, and Ben's look seemed to at least confirm that there was something more to this visit than a simple 'make the VKs feel better.' That was obvious enough, given Chad's presence, but just _why was he here_? And why did he keep looking at Carlos?

"Ben," Evie decides, cutting across Jay's furious move towards the other blond prince. "We appreciate your coming to try and make things better, and always helping us out. But as you said, the King made a decree, and we're technically still his people…so we have no choice but to…."

"But that's just it!" Ben bursts out, startling her. It seems to startle Chad, too, as the other boy blinks, and in that moment, Evie can see something genuine underneath. But as Ben continues to speak, it's lost again beneath indifference. "You guys are still his people, and he's already failed you once. It's not going to happen again, and we _do_ have a say in this."

"We do?" Jay challenges, though Evie can hear the undercurrent of doubt in his voice that means he's actually hopeful.

Carlos shifts a little closer to her, and though he's still silent, Evie knows he's hanging on every word.

"My father is the King, but we have a Council for a reason," Ben explains, and he's lost some of that pitiful child-ness about him. "His decree will still have to pass through them, along with any evidence stating why it's better for you in Auradon."

Evie pauses, her thoughts flying rapidly. She knows exactly what he's getting at, and suddenly she's not sure if this is a good idea. She glances to Carlos, to see that he's edged just a bit closer, almost level with her now, and that the open hope on his face is not something she wants to see go away. Even Jay has lost his harsh edge and is more in neutral skepticism territory. Neither of them had heard what she had, which was the part where Ben said 'present evidence.'

"And just how," Evie says slowly, trying to convey the gravity to her boys while remaining diplomatic for Ben's sake. "Is being in Auradon better? What evidence would you have us show this council?" A thought hits her, and she loses some of her solemnity in the realization. "Who is the council composed of?"

"My parents, for one," Chad puts in from the door. "Pretty much every one of your parents' hero counterparts, along with you know, the King and Queen."

"Thank you. Chad." Ben's face is pinched, and Chad's lips quirk with a smile that seems too ironic to be genuine.

"Always happy to help."

"So we're fucked either way," Jay says, understanding at least that much. Carlos seems to sink beside her, though when Evie spares him a glance she's surprised to see that he looks more thoughtful than crushed.

"You're not…screwed," Ben says, hesitating over the word but saying it all the same. Jay snorts, but Evie silences him with a glare. "Guys, this is really serious. I know it seems…."

"Oh no," Jay cuts hims off, feigning shock. "Wait, this is _really_ serious? I wouldn't have even guessed since it's our lives at stake here. Wow."

"Jay," Evie barks, and the other boy shoots her a dirty look of his own, but falls silent again.

Ben blinks a moment, and Evie waits for him to catch up and yell at Jay for his attitude. But instead, when he makes the connection, it's to something else entirely.

"Your lives?"

"Shit," Jay mutters under his breath. Evie sighs and rolls her eyes upwards, though nothing from there had ever helped any of them before.

"Contrary to what you might believe," she says heavily. "It's a lot harder over there than just not having quite enough food."

"Can't be that hard," Chad says in an undertone. "I mean, you're all here, aren't you?"

If it had been said with just a touch more sarcasm, Evie would have almost taken offence. As it was, Chad's voice was too low, and his eyes too intent with something like concern for her to manage more than simple irritation.

"You ha-ha-ha-have no id…ea," Carlos whispers, speaking up for the first time.

Jay glowers at Chad, before straightening suddenly, his expression and voice carefully composed. "Let's play a game," he says decisively, his words directed at Ben though he continued to glare at Chad. "What's the worst thing you can possibly think of? No, better yet…what's the worst thing that you're ever done or had done to you?"

Evie resigns herself to the fact that she's lost this conversation, and silently curses Jay the missed opportunity. Ben doesn't seem to understand, his expression slack with confusion, but Chad swallows, lifting a careful brow and leaning his weight forward.

"Ever as in…at any point in our lives? And it is 'our' lives, yeah?"

"Yeah." Jay's confirmation was like a slap, and Chad nods once before puckering his lips in exaggerated thought.

"I guess….I guess the worst thing I've ever done was when I was about nine or ten," he murmurs slowly. "And I snuck into the private room where my father kept his crown and royal robes and tried them on to see what it would feel like. I ended up tearing an inch long gash in the robe and losing a gem out of the crown." His cheeks flickered into a fond, yet bitter grin, though the expression didn't last long. "I wasn't allowed to play in the castle unsupervised after that."

"Really?" Jay says, and the darkness in his voice makes even Evie shiver. "That's the worst you've got? Not, I don't know…almost killing me and Carlos?"

Chad shrugs a shoulder, though it's could have been a wince if his expression had been more apologetic. "The villains always die in the end anyway, don't they?"

"Chad!" Ben cries, horrified, and the other boy's eyes narrow ever so slightly in a concealed grimace.

Eve bites her lip when Jay flinches imperceptibly, his hands clenching into shaking fists at his sides. "When _I_ was nine," he says softly, in deadly calm tones. "I slit the throat of a shopkeeper who tried to cheat me out of a deal."

Ben makes a choking sound, and Chad loses color, though his jaw remains a firm line.

"You…you killed someone?" Ben croaks weakly, his eyes mystified. "When you were _nine_?"

"I mean, to be fair, I did try to steal the silverware when he wasn't looking," Jay continues with a nonchalant shrug. "That was when he drew a sword, and that point, I really had no choice."

"No, of course not," Ben mutters, but there's something void in his eyes, like he's imagining a nine year old Jay covered in someone else's blood.

"What about you, 'los?" Jay quips, his eyes glinting darkly.

Carlos makes an unconcerned face; exaggerating his pout as he lifts his brows, before he signs; bringing his left hand up with his palm facing Jay, he touches his ring finger to his thumb. [Seven.]

"Seven?" Jay repeats, pretending to contemplate a moment before turning to face Ben. "Yeah, how about it Ben? What was the worst thing that you did or had happen to you when you were seven?"

Ben shakes his head, his mouth pressed tightly together. Evie wonders if it's because he's suddenly realizing the true gravity of this game, or if nothing bad had ever happened to him; if he was truly as perfect of a prince as he appeared. Chad, on the other hand, loses just a bit more color, his lips parting as though to speak. She's the only who catches it, however, as he grits his jaw just as tightly as Ben.

Jay makes a 'tch' sound and shakes his head, turning to Carlos. "Carlos?" he says, but then he mouths so only they can see: "You don't have to."

Carlos shakes his head minutely and then signs quickly; holding his hands out with palms up; pulling them back towards himself while bending his hands into claw shapes; then bringing his right hand up with palm facing him and index finger extended; bringing his left index finger; palm down, to touch the tip of his right.

[Want to.]

Despite his assurance, Evie can see Carlos brace himself slightly as he starts to speak. She finds herself tensing as well, waiting for the inevitable slip up.

"W-wh-when I was sseven," he murmurs shakily. "Crrr…" he cuts himself off with a sharp grimace, glancing over at Evie pleadingly.

She sighs, grimacing herself, but takes over. "When Carlos was seven, Cruella tried to kill him by throwing him in her coat closet. Which, wouldn't have been such a bad thing if the closet wasn't four by six feet and covered with bear traps."

She keeps her voice monotone, her words clipped and blunt. Despite this, Jay's expression twitches, and Carlos shuffles anxiously, his fingers curling around his dog tail.

"You mmmake it sound wo-worse," he accuses with a glower, though the effect is minimal as Ben seems to stagger slightly, and even Chad has lost his snarky indifference; both boys pale and disbelieving.

"Worse?" Chad mumbles, and Ben glances briefly to him before looking at Carlos in horror.

"How is what she said not…" He cuts himself off and shakes his head, as though realizing that he doesn't want to know, but Carlos answers anyway, his brows lifted in earnest.

"N-no," he says carefully. "No see, that time wasn't on pur-pu-pur-purpose."

There's a stomach clenching moment of silence where neither Ben or Chad seem to remember how to breathe, and Evie knows what it is they're caught up on. 'That time.'

"I don't even know what Mal was doing at seven," Jay muses aloud, breaking the silence. "E?"

That Evie doesn't even flinch at being handed this particular timeframe- and for Mal- was a feat of itself, and should be recognized as such. As it is, she play along and pretends to think a moment, before answering in a clipped sort of upbeat tone.

"Probably her usual terrorizing of the villagers," she guesses with a brief, wry grin. "Slowly laying claim to her domain."

Never mind the fact that only the year before, Mal's rivalry towards Evie had resulted in both Evie and her mother being banished to the other side of the Isle.

"I bet the fucking wharf rats are all over our territory now," Jay scowls, crossing his arms furiously. "If the pirates haven't gotten to it first."

"Please," Evie sighs, grateful for the departure from that thread. She hadn't held any bitter feelings towards Mal over her banishment for years, but the subject was still a touchy one, for both girls. "Knowing Uma she probably seized control the second Mal was off the Island."

"Uh, yeah, not to burst the moment or anything," Chad cuts in, and some of the sneer is back in his voice. "But what the fu…"

"I can't believe…." Ben interrupts, his eyes wide and stricken. "I can't believe my Dad would have allowed any of that to happen intentionally. He wouldn't have ever said what he did if he knew…."

"Knew what?" Jay snaps, jaw tight with anger. "That an island full of the worst of the worst all crammed together with no escape wouldn't somehow blow up in everyone's faces?"

"But that's just…wrong." It comes out like a whimper, and Chad gives Ben a quick, pitying sort of look.

"Do you really think the council would listen to this, though?" he says. "Even if we get them to listen, they're not going to take the word of a bunch of villain's kids over the King of Auradon."

"And there's the pessimism we were missing," Evie murmurs, though inside, she knows he's right.

It was a noble idea, but when you were going up against the Isle of the Lost, noble didn't even make it past the magic barrier.

* * *

 **Beast**

It starts as something cold and restless in his gut. It twists and writhes; tightens and hardens until it's unrecognizable. He can feel it before it happens: the hot tingling on the back of his neck and down his spine; his fingers twitching and curling dangerously, and the part of him that was still aware of the shift clings desperately for something to block it (anger is normal but this is not and he needs to control this he is human he is _not_ a beast) but even then, it's too late.

The anger comes roaring forward, tearing through his body with all the ferocity of an enraged lion. He crosses the room in tight, quick strides, and lashes out at the first thing he can get his hands on. He doesn't know what it is, only that it makes a satisfying _crunch_ when he flings it at the wall. It's nowhere near enough, but it clears some of the pounding in his head, and he turns sharply and lashes out again, the surging, screaming fury the only thing that exists.

There's no need for a transformation here; in his mind, the beast is still there, clawing at the walls, roaring his anguish for all to hear. Letting him out is a one way option, and so the best Adam can hope for is simply this; using his hands to tear apart as much as he can as hard as he can. There are no consequences; only the roaring in his head and the steadily increasing ache in his fingers- in his soul- that means it's almost run his course.

He almost surrenders to that ache, not wanting to come back to himself, to look and see what destruction he has wrought. But with nothing left to break, the beast slinks back towards its cage, growling traitorously and promising _more_. His surroundings trickle back into his awareness, and just as suddenly as he feels his heartbeat again, he hears another; high and frantic sounding, like a frightened bird. The beast kicks its heels in suddenly, whirling with a vicious snarl to what it knows on instinct is _prey blood more!_ But Adam is still aware, and his eyes see what the beast did not.

"Belle."

The name is a hoarse breath of air in the suddenly cold stillness of the room, and Adam casts his eyes around in silent dismay. The room…could have been worse, he supposes, but he still grimaces at the destruction. The soft leather of the conference chairs are ripped and bleeding foam cushion through the fabric. He flinches at the comparison the beast makes; the thoughts of tearing through skin so easily, meat and blood pouring through where his claws had raked. The wood of the chairs themselves is cracked, a few chairs broken and splintered entirely, collapsed onto their sides in the throes of death.

He wrenches himself away from the darkness of his thoughts, and forces his eyes up to meet Belle's. He doesn't dare examine _her_ too closely, terrified of what he might see- of what the beast had done to her. But her eyes are cold, her expression closed off despite the fact that he can still hear her heart racing.

"I hope you're satisfied," she says, and her tone is harsh and distant. "The dwarves took months to make us those chairs."

He doesn't want to find amusement in it, but he clings to fleeting feeling in his chest anyway, if only to further banish the horrors from his mind. He wants to apologize, but he still hasn't _looked_ at her yet; doesn't want to know what he's apologizing for.

"Belle," he says instead, taking a pleading step forward.

And if he hadn't wanted to look before, he's forced to now; her reaction more than answer enough. She tenses, and shifts her weight back, a warning springing up into her eyes and flying from the edge of her tongue.

"Don't."

He stops instantly, forcing his reaching hands to be still at his sides. He would have stopped breathing, gladly, but she's talking again, and he thinks it might be rude if he interrupted her by dying.

"I don't want to hear explanations, Adam," she says, and he would flinch again at her voice if he weren't still terrified of moving (of being a threat to her. Again.) "What you've done to those children is unacceptable, and nothing you could say will change my mind from that."

He realizes, with a paralyzing surge of relief (and no small amount of irritation) that she is referring to the villain children. He sighs, but his lingering anger makes it a heavier and harsher sound than it needs to be.

"What would you have me do then, Belle?" he demands lowly. "Simply allow the very villain who attacked me to remain loose in Auradon with no consequence?"

Her lips purse, her eyes narrowing. He can hear her heartbeat level out in the brief moment of contemplation, and the relief surges a little stronger until she speaks again.

"I think you're exaggerating a bit, Adam," she says, and though he can see the way her cheeks twitch, her tone is entirely mirthless.

"How am I exaggerating…?"

"You know how you are when you're angry."

She cuts across his impassioned demand with little ceremony, and no room for argument. Not that he could have, with the way the air suddenly leaves his lungs. His eyes finally _finally_ catch on to what he had resolutely been refusing to let them see- Belle is shaking. His wife is shaking and it's because of him.

(And anger is normal but this is not and he needs to stop doing this he needs to stop doing this now he is human he is _not a beast_ )

* * *

 ** _Jay_**

It was Tuesday, and Jay was late. He darted through the alleyways, avoiding taking the direct route through the market. Odds were slim that Mal would be at home at the castle anyway, but it would also mean less of a risk of being seen by any unwanted eyes. The hideout was on the very edge of the village, just straddling the border between the wharf and the docks. It was a source of contention amongst all the gangs, because the one who held the docks, held the food and anything else that Auradon sent over. Sure, there were Auradonian guards with each drop to make sure the items reached the markets, but what was a bag or two of soggy bread snagged by a child?

Jay knew better than to hope of ever taking the docks, not with Uma and her pirates claiming the place, but Mal's hideout was the next best thing; close enough to the docks to scavenge and yet still being untouchable by being on the mainland, if only by three-quarters. None of that would really matter though unless he got there, and he was already two weeks overdue for meeting Mal. Never mind that it hadn't been him so much as his father's deal for his life that had caused the delay. Mal wouldn't forgive him for delaying any further.

Which was how Jay found himself sneaking around the edge of the docks, holding his breath and doing everything he could to stay as low to the ground as possible. It wasn't an ideal shortcut, but if he made it through the drain pipe at the far side, he'd be right near the hideout and then…

"Hi."

He shot upright, knife in hand even as his heart leapt into his throat. Jay fought not to grimace at the shaggy-haired boy in front of him, very much aware of the not-so-casual way the youth's fingers curled around the hilt his sword.

"Hi," Jay offered back tersely, darting a quick glance over his shoulder. The rest of the dock was clear, so where had this idiot come from?

"You're not supposed to be here," the boy said, and though his voice sounded vague, there was a very real threat underlying the way he eyed Jay's dull colored vest and compared it to his own bright yellow one.

"No," Jay agreed cautiously, taking a careful step to the left. "No, I'm not, so if I could just…."

"I don't think Uma would like it if she found out a mainlander had been in her territory," the boy said, frowning dangerously at Jay. "I'm not sure I should let you go."

"Gil," Jay hissed desperately. "Please."

There wasn't enough sun this far into the docks, but Jay still could have sworn he saw a glint as the other boy slowly drew his sword. It would have been more menacing if done by anyone else, but the way Gil did it, it was more like he was mentally reminding himself that swords are sharp and he had to be careful using it.

"No mainlanders on the docks," Gil said, just as slowly and carefully as he'd drawn his sword. "That's the rule, and Harry says everyone knows it, so if anyone is here that shouldn't be, it's their own fault what happens to them."

Jay groans, tugging his knife free from his belt and adjusting his grip so the blade faced his own body and not Gil's. "Yeah but you _know_ me," he tried, edging another step to the left.

Gil matched his step perfectly, and Jay cursed himself for ever thinking the kid was as idiotic as he appeared.

"I do know you Jay," he said, and though he grinned at the idea, he didn't sheath his sword. "Maybe that will help Uma not be so mad."

"I doubt it," Jay grumbled, trying another quick step. But Gil matched that one as well, the smile fading slowly from his face.

"You're right," he said. "It won't."

Then he lunged, and Jay sucked a sharp breath, twisting his body around the blade and flinging up his own knife to counter. Gil easily parried the attack and swung again, aiming low towards Jay's hip. Jay didn't understand what he was trying to do, so instead of blocking with his knife, he tried for another lunge of his own. Gil jerked his head sharply to the side, missing the blow that would have blinded him by mere inches, and at the same moment, Jay felt something give and heard a high, metallic **cling! chink! ding!** that could only mean one thing.

"Oh shit," he hissed, ducking his head and ramming his shoulder sharply into Gil's chin. The other boy staggered, and it was just distraction enough that Jay could spare a hasty second to stoop, his fingers scrabbling desperately along the cobbles for his lost treasures. His bag must have come undone, he thought frantically, dark eyes scanning for the tiny silver teapot he'd snagged earlier that morning. Damn it, where…?

He's pulled rather viciously from his search by a hand, long fingers tangling in his hair and jerking up at the roots. He let out a strangled yell in spite of himself, and is all set to swing a fist backwards when a cold voice stops him abruptly.

"Well, now. Wha' do we have here?"

The voice is soft but strongly syllabled; all long vowels and hushed 'h's. The kind of voice that sent chills down your spine, and it only depended on what mood he was in which kind of shivering you would be doing.

"Harry."

Gil said the name with something like joy, though it was muffled by the hand he'd pressed tightly over his mouth. The hand in Jay's hair didn't loosen, but shifted slightly as its owner leant forward.

"Le' me see, mate," he demanded of Gil, who lowered his hand with some reluctance to reveal his split lip, the beginnings of a bruise already starting to show along his jaw where Jay had rammed him with his shoulder.

Harry stiffened with a Cat-like hiss, and Jay went very still, not daring to breathe.

"Ye hurt Gil," Harry growled in Jay's ear, all disapproval and scowls. "Nobody hurts Gil."

"I'm fine, though, Harry," Gil assured quickly, fumbling to sheath his sword and still keep his lip from bleeding. "Besides, he was already leaving."

"Was 'e now?"

Jay shuddered at the way Harry's voice dropped, dulcet tones that promised nothing but violence. He tried to comfort himself on the fact that at least the other boy hadn't drawn his sword or anything yet, but then he heard the sickening **sshrk!** of grating metal, and felt something cool and curved on his cheek.

"And jest wha' was a filthy mainlander doin' in our turf, eh?"

"Oh, well he was trying to get back to the mainland," Gil helpfully supplied, smiling in what he probably thought was a reassuring way. "But I stopped him. Not bad, right Harry?"

"Nah, mate," Harry agreed. "No' bad at all."

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

Mal had had it with waiting for Jay, and was currently doing the one thing she swore to herself she would never do. She was going to talk to Jafar. The sleazy vizier-turned-salesman was the last person whose company she would have sought out, but it had been two weeks since she'd last seen Jay, and it was Tuesday and almost noon. She was going to have her partner back or someone was going to die.

She'd only been to Jay's father's house once, and it hadn't been for long, but she'd memorized the route from the Bargain Castle to the Merchant's Square, and it wasn't hard to work out Jafar's shop from all the others; it being the only one decorated in garish shades of red and dull yellows and oranges that made Mal think of hot sun reflecting off white sand. Not that she would have ever seen such a thing herself, with the Isle being drenched in near perpetual grey and clouds. But it was what she thought of anyway.

She paused just long enough outside of the door to draw her knife, fingering the edge of the blade as she gripped the hilt tightly. Then she shoved aside the curtain with little ceremony, summoning all the authority she held as daughter of the ruler of the Isle into her voice.

"Jafar."

A small bell chimed at the back of the shop and there he was, stooping and bowing as he shuffled forward, seeming only half aware of his surroundings.

"Yes, of course," he murmured smoothly, still not looking at her. "What can I help…."

She knew right away when he noticed her because his words dropped off with a distinct, unpleasant noise, and when she glanced at him it was to catch a sneer curling his lips.

"What do you want, brat?" he growled dismissively at her, and Mal cocked a hip, placing a stern hand on it and glaring right back.

"I want your son," she said lowly. "He hasn't shown in two weeks and I'm sure you're aware of the deal you made with my mother. I can't learn if he's nowhere to be found."

Jafar muttered something in Arabic under his breath, and though Mal didn't know what it was, she could infer that it was some kind of insult. Despite the less than warm reception, she noted a hint of something heavy- almost guilty- in his eyes as he glowered at her.

"I haven't seen him either," he muttered sourly, shuffling away to arrange a shelf. "Two weeks ago, I made an exchange with a certain **_mahrab_** …a sort of dealer, if you will."

Mal's eyes narrowed, honing in on the inflection in the way Jafar said the foreign word; the disdain and yet, again, that grieved sort of guilt; an anxiousness and disgust in his eyes as they dart away from hers.

"A trafficker, you mean," she hissed, and Jafar stiffened defensively, but said nothing.

"Where is he now?" Mal demanded, taking a step forward and fingering the blade of her knife once more. "How do I know Jay isn't dead in a gutter somewhere? Two _weeks_?"

She forced her tone to remain level despite the way her stomach and mind revolted at the idea of Jay in such a position. "Maybe I'll tell my mother about this after all. I can't imagine she would be pleased at finding out how you've gone back on your deal with her to strike up another one with someone else. I wonder…"

Her words were stopped abruptly by a blow across her face, the force of it snapping her head to the side. She gripped her knife a little tighter as she shot Jafar a murderous look, only to receive another blow and a hissed curse in Arabic in response.

"You little bitch," he snarled, in English this time, and she idly wondered if what he had called her in Arabic had been worse.

It had certainly been longer, though she realized that now wasn't the time to ponder over insults so much as decide if she really wanted to fight with Jafar right now. After dodging a third blow, she decided she didn't, not if Jay was still missing in action. She complained internally, but sheathed her knife and lowered her eyes, dropping her hostile posture into something more submissive.

"I just want to know where Jay is," she repeated slowly, though this time she made sure her voice held no malice, and kept her hands open and calm at her sides.

"The deal wasn't meant to extend this long," Jafar finally grumbled, but whether he was referring to his deal with the trafficker or the one he'd made with Maleficent, Mal didn't know. "If he's not still…he would mostly likely just continue with what he planned with you. I haven't seen him, clearly," Jafar gestured emphatically towards his bare shelves.

"I'll make sure to remind him of that if I see him," Mal muttered, but she was already checked out of the conversation. It hadn't gotten her nowhere except to more frustration, though if Jafar was telling the truth about Jay's own commitment to teaching her, then the only place he could be was the hideout.

Mal was gone from Jafar's shop before the man had finished complaining about his stock, and only once she was tucked safely into an alcove and out of the street did she cup her stinging cheek. "Asshole," she grumbled, wincing at the shallow cut from the man's ring.

The market was in full swing by the time she reached it, though everyone stayed well out of her way with one well placed, green eyed glare. She smirked to herself, and managed the trek to the hide out with no trouble. Which is what made her arrival at the hideout that much more disappointing when she discovered it empty. She snarled in disgust and leant over the railing, peering through the gaps between buildings and debated whether she dare go to her mother for help, when a sudden voice from down below jarred her from her brooding.

"Hey Mal."

She straightened, and frowned down to see a familiar head of dirty blond hair tucked beneath a light blue cap; a bright yellow vest with far too many buckles to be functional.

"Gil," she called back warily, shifting her weight so her casual lean was more defensive.

"Uma sent me to get you," the boy said, smiling at her despite the hand that moved with clear intent towards the sword at his belt.

"Did she now?" Mal questioned disinterestedly, though her mind was racing, and she didn't like the connections it was making.

"You're not gonna make me climb all those stairs, are you?" Gil asked, frowning worriedly at the thought. "Cuz she's been waiting a while and I don't think…."

"What's really going on here Gil?" Mal demanded, letting her eyes light with her frustration. Gil's expression shifted suddenly into serious, his eyes dark as his frown deepened.

"We have Jay. And you know what happens to mainlanders who trespass into Uma's territory."

"I'll be right down."

Gil was silent as they walked through the narrow alleyways dividing the docks from the rest of the Island, though the various buckles and snaps on his clothing clicked and jingled obnoxiously, grating on Mal's already fraught nerves.

"So," she finally said, if only to break the silence. "What sort of mood is your boyfriend in today?" She made sure to put every bit of her disgust and hatred for Uma into the term, and Gil gave her a confused look out of the corner of his eyes.

"Huh?"

"Harry," Mal growled, rolling her eyes. Gil's mouth opening into an 'oh' shape, before suddenly snapping shut as she frowned at her again.

"Harry's not my boyfriend," he said slowly, then he blinked, as though realizing something himself. "Is he?"

Mal stifled a groan of frustration and tried to pick up the pace, but Gil had already stopped in the middle of the alley and was frowning at the space between the cobbles.

"I mean, I guess I could always ask him," he murmured to himself, and Mal grimaced, shaking her head sharply.

"I don't think that would end well for you," she snapped harshly, and Gil blinked at the stones, pouting his lip in thought.

"Probably not," he mumbled, still more to himself than her. "Maybe…."

He didn't finish the thought, instead snapping his head up quickly and shuffling back to her side, his jaw resolutely clenched. Mal didn't want to think of what ideas he might have come up with, but decided for her own sanity not to question him further. The pungent, salty stench of the ocean was starting to wash over them, and she watched as something tense and coiled in Gil's body loosened, a soft relief filling his eyes, and she realized just how uncomfortable he truly had been on the 'mainland.'

She didn't have much time to analyze the thought as Gil whistled sharply between his teeth, and a small cohort of pirates materialized from nowhere and surrounded her, escorting them the rest of the way up onto the mangled pirate ship.

"Gil," Mal warned, but the other boy was no longer focused on her, instead scanning the steadily growing pirate horde with warm, but hard brown eyes.

"Harry was smiling when he woke up today," he informed her finally. "If that helps answer your question."

"Sonofabitch," Mal hissed sharply, just as a low, throaty chuckle rang out from the back of the pirate crew.

"I'd say it's good to see you, Mal but…I try to be as honest as possible to set an example for my crew."

"Afternoon to you, Shrimpy," Mal fired back, and Uma slipped from between two pirates with a furious baring of her teeth.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," the smaller girl threatened, sword in hand. "Your little _pal_ Jay might not appreciate any more bruising."

"Where is he?" Mal snapped, lunging forward. It was too revealing, and Uma knew it too. The other girl leapt easily out of range, though it wasn't really necessary as Gil instantly placed a hand on Mal's shoulder; a quick, but firm squeeze all the warning she needed.

"Harry's making him comfortable," Uma murmured huskily, and Mal felt the fire light in her eyes even before she'd finished speaking.

"Give. Him. Back," she demanded lowly, but Uma made a face, her eyes wide.

"You know I can't do that," the other girl said, and Mal was almost grateful for Gil's hand on her shoulder, if only to keep her from killing his 'captain' in front of him. "Not without consequences; not just like that!"

"I swear…"

"Swear what?" Uma challenged, whipping her head around so viciously her hair snapped in a wave across her face. "We set the terms and you agreed to them. No mainlanders on the docks!"

"Newsflash, _Uma_ ," Mal snarled, shaking off Gil's hand and prowling forward. "We're on an _island_. Everyone here is a 'mainlander'; even you. So don't try and give me some 'ocean born' bullshit when you can't even reach the water!"

She knew right away she'd gone too far, even before Uma's eyes hardened. If Gil's eyes were warm in their brownness, Uma's were the very coal they sparked from.

"Gil," Uma said, her voice sharp and crackling with hatred. "If you'd be so kind."

Mal felt her right leg buckle from under her, and she was falling heavily before she even felt the pain of the blow. She caught herself before the wooden deck could, but then pain hit her and she clamped her lips tightly around a scream.

"Sorry," Gil whispered mournfully, and Mal hit the deck hard, her jaw aching as she clenched it even tighter.

"Sorry," he mumbled again, his next blow catching her just below the ribs.

Mal scrambled for purchase and finally got her arms under her, shoving herself up to her feet just in time to avoid another blow. She whirled to face Gil with both fists raised defensively, and found that he'd nearly copied her stance, though his weight was more forward; one arm already cocked for another blow. His eyes met hers briefly, and she hated how horribly guilty and pained he looked, even as he swung forward with all his might.

"That's enough Gil," Uma's voice said from somewhere far away.

Mal blinked hard as Gil came into focus, the other boy practically slumping with relief as he lowered his fists, his hands far more gentle as they shoved Mal back into a more upright position and casually remained around her arms until she was steady.

"'m really sorry," he murmured again in her ear, which only further solidified her own guilt for pushing Uma too far, along with the fact that Gil really was just too…good…for the Isle.

"What do you want, Uma?" Mal snapped, though her previous hostility had (mostly) been knocked out of her.

Uma sauntered slowly across the deck towards her, a poisonous sort of half-smile on her face.

"What do I want?" The other girl repeated, that throaty laugh bubbling up in her throat, a dark gleam in her eyes. " _Everything_."


	22. We are the ones who kept quiet pt 1

**Hey guys! I actually updated at a relatively normal time this time, like a normal person, haha. ;) I hope the wait wasn't too long for you. Anyway, let's get right into it shall we?**

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 **tigerladygamer: Lol, I live on the east coast of the States. Sorry about that timing. But if I didn't have restrictions like work and school and 'responsible adulthood' (whatever _that_ it) I'd probably stay up till 3 am writing every day! ;) **

**I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much. We will definitely be getting into more of Isle life for the VKs, and don't worry, Mal will be back and terrorizing people before you know it! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Sand-wolf579: Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and that you're enjoying the way I'm portraying everyone. Chad is definitely a complicated character, and I did my best to treat him as such. And yeah, I kind of figured that being stuck as an out of control beast for ten years would leave some side effects, lol. And I'm really glad you enjoyed my inclusion/portrayal of Uma, Harry and Gil. I wasn't sure if I should include them or not or how people would react to them, but I'm glad you enjoyed my little snippet of Sea Three, and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **GuestWhoLovesYou: Hi, it's good to hear from you again. I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far. Don't worry I don't intend to stop writing anytime soon! As for your question, no I haven't yet explained how Evie (or the other VKs) got their injuries at the beginning of the story, but I am in the process of outlining that flash back and plan to elaborate on it soon. And I'm glad you liked my interpretation of the AKs' issues. You're right, no life is truly perfect, and I definitely wanted to highlight that in this story. **

**As for all your questions, well…I hate to be 'that person' lol, but for the most part they'll all be answered in the story so keep reading! Haha, um, but I'm glad you like how I'm portraying all the characters. I definitely didn't want to dismiss the fact that these guys are all people with feelings, and I wanted to highlight the Ben/Audrey/Chad dynamic to make things that much more real. And I love the VK formations too, lol. The eye contact thing I'll be elaborating on, but for the most part it's equal parts a respect issue and a fear issue as, depending on just who and how you made eye contact with on the Isle it would lead to trouble.**

 **And regarding Evie, yes I will definitely be including more of her and will be clarifying things with flashbacks, etc. I'm definitely in a better place than I was before, but certain things can be hard writing when it hits so close to home. But thank you so much for your words of encouragement, it really means a lot to me. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you for the review! I hope they can change his mind too, honestly, haha. ;) It will take some convincing, that's for sure. But I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy. **

**Royal One: Haha, yeah, I'm sorry about that. With all the conflict revolving around Aziz and Nikki, I figured I might as well continue torturing Jay as a counterpoint, lol. And yeah, it's gonna be quiet messy when Jay's past is revealed. All the VKs, really, but definitely Jay, considering all the aforementioned conflict. **

**And I'm glad you liked my portrayal of King Beast's anger issues. :) It was something I head-canoned long before Descendants; actually going back to original Beauty and the Beast, lol, and I was kind of really looking forward to seeing how Descendants took that on, and was extremely pleased to see that they implied that there as well. Plus I also recently purchased the book, and it's actually implied in _there_ too, haha, so that was a fun little tangent I was pleased to discover. **

**And we will get the rest of that flashback, don't worry. But yes, I didn't make the timeline clear, sorry. That one with the pirates was before Evie and Carlos, so it's just Mal to the rescue. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Nyehhhh: I'm glad you love this story so much, thank you! :) I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying! **

**chrono-contract: I'm so glad you loved this chapter! And you are very welcome, lol. I'll definitely be including some more of the Sea-Three so hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy. **

**Gracfully: I'm glad you thought it was interesting. :) Yep, that flashback was back when the VKs were younger, before Auradon. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **EvietoyourMal; Haha, yeah…I'm a bit of an intense sort of writer. I tend to get really into the dark/nitty gritty of things so it's definitely going to be pretty emotionally charged for a bit. There will be some more triggering and angst and suffering before things get better (cuz I'm evil that way) but it _will_ get better, I promise! And yes, there will be more Mal/Uma rivalry, don't you worry. Haha, I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Guest 1: Me alegro de que disfrutes mucho mi historia. Definitivamente tengo planes para Ben y Mal, no te preocupes. Por supuesto, voy a poner mi propio pequeño giro en él, pero habrá Ben y Mal. ;)**

 **lpsNerdz: Hey, welcome to the party! It's ok if you're late, I'm happy to have you. And yes, it was an MCR reference, haha. There may or not be some other MCR sprinkled about too, lol. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! **

**Indian Sunset : Hi, welcome to the story and thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far and that you think I'm doing a good job keeping things realistic. It's definitely something I really wanted to strive for with this story and avoid all that Disney sugar coating. **

**I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy my inclusion of the Sea-Three, but if it helps any, they're only going to make extremely rare appearances throughout, haha. My main focus is on the VKs (our core four) just wanted to add them as a counterpoint/for added backstory. Regardless, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Jewelz1642: I'm so glad you enjoyed this and thought it was so good. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed my involvement of the Sea-Three, and that you liked my subtle shipping, lol. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! **

**Tiredandlazy: Oh how I wish you had a profile so I could rant in PM without spoiling, lol. Well I'll do my best. In terms of your mystery, it will not remain unsolved. I've actually already been laying the clues, and your review inspired another set that I added in to the plot. So. I would say go back and review some of my Carlos flashbacks, as I've hinted at some other stuff there. It's like the game Clue, you have all the characters, you just need to figure out whodunnit. ;) **

**And yeah, haha, it might seem a bit weird or whatever to get so excited about a review on a random work of fanfiction, but it's true. You and a couple others, I always get really excited and look forward to updating, just so I can read your reviews and see what you think.**

 **So yes, on to the chapter. I'm glad you love Belle and Beast's argument, lol. That was fun and intense to write. Belle is definitely a boss ass bitch, haha and she's takin' none of his shit so no worries there. ;) And don't worry, Chad's softness will start to show just a tiny bit more, he's just gonna try and save face and keep up his act for as long as he can. Lonnie and Mal will get their bit of interaction, and we'll get some more into Aziz and Nikki and a peek into some more abuse/backstory.**

 **And I'm really glad you liked my take on Uma vs. Mal and my portrayal of Gil. Yeah, he really is just not cut out for the Isle life, and I'll be highlighting some of that a little more later on. Anyway, I hope you will continue to read and enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think! :)**

 **MikaToshino: Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you'll continue to enjoy. **

**HannahWilliam33: Welcome to the story and thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad you loved the way I wrote Harry, Gil and Uma, haha. The Beast really doesn't have place to judge, and I'll be digging into all of the backstory and people will be finding out shortly so that will be fun. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. **

**kagome higurashi: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy. **

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**Author's Notes:**

 **Ok guys, everyone's favorite part, haha. The warnings for this chapter are brief but important so please don't skip!**

 *****Warnings for this chapter include the usual, language, mentions and implications of child abuse/neglect, mentions of death and blood in a joking setting, and mentions/implications of dysfunctional families.*****

 **Further disclaimer, this chapter also contains homophobia/homophobic language, and crude insults/slurs. THE VIEWS EXRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR. Just wanted to make that clear. This was really rough to write, guys, and I can not stress enough to my readers that I am sorry for the crudeness, and again, that any such comments will be deleted.**

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 **Note 2:**

 **That being said, this chapter also contains a POV shift, and a flashback. Bit of clarification for you guys, the flashback is covering events from Chapters 19 and 20, and the POV immediately following picks up back in the present day. :)**

 **I hope you guys enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **-Raven**

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 **Audrey**

There are many places within and outside the states of Auradon that one could find Audrey on any given day. If she wasn't at the school, then she typically journeyed to Auradon City for an impromptu (and usually much needed and well deserved) shopping trip. Spring Break usually found her, along with most of their friends, traveling with Chad back home to Charmington to make sure he stayed relatively sane while facing the usual chaos and fuss that tended to be kicked up around that time (and of course, vehemently denying that that was why they came it was just that Cinderellasburg was so much prettier than Auradon in the Spring!) Then Summer Break, which found her with Ben and his family and vacationing in the Summerlands. (She swears the location must have been Ben's idea, and chosen purely for the irony of the name as the Summerlands were mostly forest and it was impossible to find a good resort within a fifty mile radius.) Back to Auradon and the Academy in the fall, and when winter started, up north a bit to Camelot for a quick visit with her Aunts before journeying back down for Christmas with Ben in Auradon.

The routine had mostly petered out a bit as time wore on (less trips with Chad as he resolutely shoved everyone away when it became apparent that things with his mother weren't going away); and less frequent trips to Camelot as their medieval ways also refused to evolve. However the one thing that remained constant was that Audrey hardly journeyed farther south than Auradon Castle; certainly didn't crossed that border into South Riding; wouldn't dream of stepping foot in Auroria or any of the three castles there.

Not unless she wanted to step into what she was currently already in:

"I thought we agreed that the South Castle would be _mine_ for the fall."

Her father's voice, a rare one to behold at any point in her life since the divorce.

"I don't recall ever agreeing to such terms. You probably made it up on the spot to humiliate me."

The divorce which, unsurprisingly enough in Audrey's opinion, had been initiated by her mother. And which was always painstakingly rehashed…by both of them.

"Don't blame me for that, it seems you're doing just fine on your own."

"Little thanks to you! What do want now; to try and claim the East Castle as well?"

Audrey didn't hear much past her mother's last accusation, as their voices moved farther away and deeper into the house, which left her hovering in the parlor clutching her purse and furiously texting Lonnie for tips on how not to kill someone. Or at the very least, creative ways to not get caught.

"…can't come and visit…?" and "Seems more than excessive." and "Well that's what I get I suppose for marrying someone I barely knew!" and "What else would you want me to be for you? What, was saving you and your whole _kingdom_ not enough!" and so on, and so forth, ad nauseum.

Her phone buzzes in her palm and she clicks through the various screens until she reaches her messages.

{Warrior Princess: How do you feel about blood?}

Audrey stifles her amused, albeit nervous chuckle and quickly types back, glancing up every now and then to keep an ear on the pace of the argument.

{Not particularly fond…it doesn't come out of clothes!}

Something thuds from a few rooms over, an indignant screech following soon after. Audrey bites her lip and idly debates over if it had been that lifelike bust of her father that had gone this time, or if it had been one of her mother's miniature glass roses.

{Warrior Princess: True, forgot how much you love your dresses. I was gonna suggest dismembering the corpse for easier removal, but I guess that's out.}

Glass smashes, and Audrey snickers to herself at Lonnie's message.

{Who's to say there wouldn't be two bodies?} She counters, and hangs her purse over one of the velvet chairs. Clearly, this one was going to take a while.

{Warrior Princess: Ok…two is harder, but I could probably still work something out.}

{I could always burn them.} Audrey muses, and Lonnie sends a laughing emoji in response.

{Warrior Princess: Burning's for amateurs! We're going for subtly professional here, duh.}

{Of course.} Audrey texts back, barking a laugh of her own. {Because we've both killed tons of people and therefore count as qualified 'professionals.'}

She sends a winking face emoji of her own and waits, but a minute goes by with no response. The rest of the house is silent as well, though she can still hear the murmur of angry voices from somewhere. At least they weren't yelling, and nothing else had broken. Audrey pegged it at about five more minutes or so of the quiet debating before the coast would be clear enough to walk back through the front door.

In the space between texts and furious, muffled arguing, Audrey did a quick search of the AuraWeb for some other ideas. Lighting on one that sounded promising, she switches back over to messaging and texts Lonnie again.

{So, I found this one thing on an AuraWeb article that said that if I wear different sized shoes, I could cover my own footprints. And then there's another whole section just about fashioning murder weapons! Do you think I could make some kind of poison gas from my makeup?}

Lonnie texted back before she'd even finished, her text punctuated with alternating angry and crying emojis.

{Warrior Princess: Ancestors above, Audrey, do you not _think_!? Now they have your trail and know what you've been searching!}

Audrey blushes guiltily for making Lonnie so upset, and vaguely notes that all the arguing seems to have stopped from the next room.

{Sorry, didn't realize you were so into this…}

{Warrior Princess: Are you kidding me? I've literally been deleting every message since the start of this conversation.}

{Lol!}

{Warrior Princess: I don't intend to go down for this, Drey. If we're taking someone out, we're doing it right or not at all.}

Audrey chuckles quietly, grinning widely as she texts back. {So dedicated, Lonnie, haha! It's not like you've ever actually done something like this before though.}

A much longer beat of silence this time, and Audrey idly scoops up her purse and makes her way back to the front door. It hadn't quite been five minutes, and she's taking it as a good sign for the conversation that's about to take place. Lonnie still hadn't texted back by the time she reaches the door, and she frowns carefully, texting the other girl again.

{Right?} She texts, when her friend still hadn't responded. {Lonnie?}

{Warrior Princess: Haha, right.…..} And a rather shifty looking smiling face emoji that has Audrey feeling genuinely worried for some reason.

{I have to go.} She texts, feeling a pang of regret as she types. {But this conversation is not over. We **will** be discussing your murderous tendencies later.}

{Warrior Princess: K. I'll just sit here and keep watching over an unconscious girl…like _that_ isn't creepy at all.}

Audrey freezes with her hand halfway to the door handle, staring at her screen uncomprehendingly. Instinct has her panicking and all set to spiral as she thinks on her own family's experiences with unconscious girls and the after effects of supposed 'happy endings.' Finally, her mind starts to work again and she rereads the message. Then she blinks, her tongue clicking against her teeth as she inhales sharply.

{Wait. WHAT?!}

{Warrior Princess: Gottagoexplainlaternotunconsiousanymoreandithinkimightdie.}

And with that, Lonnie leaves the messaging app, and Audrey slumps a little against the doorframe, suddenly at a loss as to what was going on. She's reminded, when a door closes sharply down the hall, and she straightens quickly, opening the front door and closing it hard and with intent before plastering a smile on her face.

"Hi," she calls loudly, stepping back through the parlor and sliding her phone into the pockets of her dress. "Mom? I just thought I'd…"

Her voice tapers off as her father rounds the corner, and Philip's tight, haggard expression instantly melts. "Princess," he sighs, and Audrey all but falls into his arms.

"Hi Daddy," she mumbles into the silk of his suit, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least moderately thrilled to see him.

"It's good to see you sweetheart," he whispers in her ear before pulling away. "But what are you doing back home? Don't you have school? Or…" his tanned face screws in thought before his eyes return to hers. "Is it already break?"

Audrey sighs fondly and shakes her head, stepping reluctantly out of his embrace. "No, it's not. School's still on, I just wanted to…."

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" her mother's voice cuts in sharply from the direction of the sitting room. "I don't hear you leaving!"

"Guess who's here, Rose?" Her father calls back in response, and Audrey can't help but wince slightly at the pet name.

Rose was Audrey's middle name; a token reminder of a time when things were so much simpler between her parents. When all that really mattered was a half-remembered song and a secret waltz through a forest. Hearing it again now, after so much time apart from that; after the two people who had once shared that waltz had disappeared forever…it wasn't something that Audrey particularly cherished. Especially with the way her father said it; like it was an accusation: a forced reminder of exactly what had changed between them.

"Audrey," her mother gasps, and the sound is equal parts joy and anguish. "I didn't think you'd be back until…."

"It's a surprise visit," Audrey blurts, not moving from the space between her father and the carpet that lined the mansion's entrance. "I just had some questions about things that have been going on at school and thought talking in person would be best, so…."

She's rambling, and she clamps down on it sharply, trying to smile despite the way her throat feels like a stone is lodged inside and her stomach twists into a thorny mess.

"Of course," her father says cheerily, clapping a warm but overly familiar hand around her shoulder. "We're always here for you, pumpkin."

Her mother sniffs pointedly, and her father shoots her a filthy look and Audrey is all set to start hiding away anything remotely valuable when her mother cracks, and smiles.

"Of course," she repeats, and gestures grandly towards the back of the house and in the general direction of the open kitchen space. "Let's all sit and you can share."

And so then it shifts; from "Oh, how are you dear?" and "Can't believe how grown up you are" ("Of course _you_ can't, you've only been gone five years.") and ("Who's fault is that, though _Rose_?") and tight looks that say Not In Front of Audrey and right back into "Heard about that decree, nasty business bringing villains into Auradon" and "Certainly hope you're staying well away from those heathens" and "Half a mind to pull you out of there" and ("So she can do what? Spend time with you?") and ("Must be better than spending it with you") and _Not In Front of Audrey_ ; so by the time they finally reach the kitchen, it's as if they'd done so by wading through a trench of fire.

Her father pulls a chair out for her and Audrey slumps into it weakly before remembering and straightens into a far more princess appropriate pose. She's still so tired of all of this though, and she watches her father approach his own chair; watches as the disregard in his body shifts as his eyes meet hers, and he turns and extends another chair for her mother. He doesn't push it in for her though once she's seated, and Audrey watches as her mother scoots herself closer, an expression of tightly concealed disdain on her face.

"Now then," her mother starts to say, before her father interrupts, tenting his fingers like this is a business meeting instead of family. (However loosely it fit.)

"So just which villains did they end up choosing?" he asks abruptly, and Audrey blinks a moment, caught off guard.

"Why...It doesn't really matter, though, does it?" She counters carefully, simultaneously pondering why she was protecting the VKs (protecting _Mal_ , a small part of her traitorously whispers.)

"Well clearly it matters to you," her mother replies, and at Audrey's wondering look. "I'm your mother, it's my job to know these things."

Her father swallows a scoff and nearly chokes, but her mother pointedly ignores him.

"You're here now," she continues with a small shrug. "You might as well tell us everything so we can help."

We, Audrey notes. But really just one of you, because you won't let Dad do anything, and he won't let you do anything either, which is exactly what I'm afraid of.

"It's not really about them at all," Audrey lies expertly, feigning her own disinterest with a perfect roll of her eyes. "They sneak around the school and go to class when they feel like it, so _no one_ sees them. Ben thinks that defeats the point of them being here, but honestly, I'm not complaining."

Both of her parents relax minutely at that, and Audrey feels her worry increasing. This wasn't going to work. This was a terrible idea and she should never have come here she knew better than to come home why was she here?

"So then what's up buttercup?"

Her mother huffs at her father's classic 'Dad' ness, but Audrey finds a small bit of relief in it all the same. She should try and utilize him over her mother, if she was being brutally honest. He would hold more weight with the Counsel, being a Prince, and his instinctive nature was always to rush headlong against something he felt was wrong (or into whatever he thought was right), regardless of rational thought. She lets her worry and fear about it all show on her face and instantly sees the way he shifts his weight so he's leaning more into her; all set to be pointed in the right direction.

"Well, aside from the _villains_ , (the stress was purely for her mother's benefit, but it helps get the older Princess more engaged) there are some other new kids to the school as well, and no one really knows much about them either. Which of course, has Ben worried because there's nothing he can't figure out about a person, you know?"

"Just like Belle," her mother comments, but she's listening, which was more than Audrey could hope for.

"Yeah," she continues, taking another slow breath. "So everyone's trying to figure out who these kids are and about their background and…well with some of the things that were noticed we weren't sure if…" she pauses her rambling and decides after a quick look at her father's concerned face to just be blunt.

"What do you do if you suspect that someone's in a not-so-great situation?"

"Well you'll _have_ to be more specific than that," her mother intones, but Audrey can hear the undercurrent of doubt in her voice that she latches on to instantly.

"Ok," Audrey agrees, and glances to her father again. "What do you if you think someone is being abused? How do you prove it, and keep them from having to go back to it?"

Her father blanches ever so slightly, though quickly recovers and instantly snaps into the hero mode that Audrey had secretly been hoping for.

"Well first of all, you'd need to establish just what sort of support system you have to work with," her father's voice is soothing, but intense in his confidence; in his ability to make at least this better. "They need a safe place; somewhere, or even someone to go to that's solely theirs."

Audrey wasn't sure how they'd manage that; she was almost positive that the VKs' 'safe place' was each other. She says as much, leaving out specifics, but her father nods.

"That's fine," he says. "Make sure to set up a physical place for them as well, and make it clear that it's _theirs_ and no one else will come into it without their permission, or bother them while they're there."

She makes a mental note of it and nods for her father to continue. Her purses his lips thoughtfully, then folds his hands from their tent before speaking.

"I'm assuming you've already figured out or have an idea of the type of abuse they might have gone through?"

She blinks, and tries to remember what Doug had mentioned. "We aren't sure," she finally admits slowly. "Just that we've noticed a lot of bruises, and the way they always sort of flinch away whenever anyone gets too close or talks too loud, even if we're excited."

"Well it's a start, at least," her father murmurs. "Of course therapy and talking about it would help much more than just a safe place."

Audrey thinks of the VKs (and more specifically, Carlos) and makes a face, shaking her head. "I don't know how well talking about it would go. They're pretty closed off."

Although they had been opening up more, and Jay had formed a decent enough bond with Aziz before things had gone south. Carlos and Jane, too had connected. There was hope, just not enough of it.

"I guess then the best bet is to just start with the safe space," her father says then. "That should help with getting them to open up, and from there, you can approach therapy once everyone is ready and comfortable."

"What I want to know," her mother speaks for the first time. "Is just who these children are, and why you care so much? More importantly, why you think _we_ should care?"

"Well you certainly don't miss a thing, do you?" her father mutters, and Audrey can't help but think the same thing.

"We care," Audrey begins, but then her mother interrupts, seizing on that.

"And you do keep saying that: 'we.' Who's 'we?'"

"Me, for one," Audrey sighs, and her father gives her a knowing look out of the corner of his eyes. "Ben, of course. Doug, Lonnie, Jane and Chad." (And maybe Aziz and Nikki, if they come around to the idea at all)

"Hm, and I guess it's no surprise at least that _Chad's_ a part of it, given the whole _Cinderella_ fiasco."

Audrey presses her lips tightly together and says nothing, (which took a lot of self-control and she deserves that credit thank you very much) and her mother takes her silence as confirmation and permission to continue.

"And I suppose the reason you came to us, is because you think we'd be able to say something at the next meeting. Argue to let these _children_ stay somewhere other than in an abusive situation?"

"Ideally, yes," Audrey says tightly. "That's the plan, anyway."

"You aren't seriously suggesting we do otherwise…?"

"I'm _suggesting_ we need more information before we decide on anything."

Her mother says 'we' but talks as if her father had never sat down at the table. It's a royal we if anything, and Audrey would have laughed at that if she weren't mentally reminding herself that blood wouldn't wash out of her dress and that any other option would be too amateur for Lonnie to approve of.

"Well I'll see what I can find out," Audrey finally says, and she stands from her chair before she can change her mind. "I'll write."

"You can call," her father chimes in, almost a plea, and Audrey quickly presses a kiss to her mother's cheek before she can fire a retort.

"I'll keep in touch," she says, the most she can promise either of them right now.

"Just make sure you're careful around those villains," her mother calls after her.

"Really, Aurora," her father's voice follows her to the door, heavy and weary all at once. "She can make her own decisions you know."

(And) "Yes I _do_ know, I'm the one who stuck around."

(And) "Not like you left me any choice."

(And) "Plenty of choices, you just decided not to be the hero this time!"

(And) "Don't know why I didn't stop to think that day in the forest. I mean, what girl sings alone in the woods?"

(And) "Last time I checked you found it endearing!"

(And Not In Front of Audrey! doesn't matter anymore because she's already gone, sprinting down the drive and all but throwing herself at the doors of the car that had been waiting on the other side of the bridge.)

* * *

 **Lonnie**

Of all the ideas for a fun time on a Friday evening, sitting in a high-backed plastic chair and watching an unconscious villain kid sleep wasn't exactly on Lonnie's list. Although, Audrey's extremely entertaining messages were certainly making the situation a little less weird. It wasn't that Lonnie felt unsafe being this close to Mal, even with the other girl's current state (or, lack of) awareness. She wouldn't have volunteered so hastily otherwise. If anything, Lonnie was absolutely thrilled at the idea; of the chance to dispel some of her own grand views of the VKs and get to _know_ them.

But there wasn't much getting to know at the moment. An IV was attached to Mal's arm, clear liquid dripping steadily down the shallow tube. The Fairy Godmother had seemed surprised, but hadn't protested when she'd walked in and seen Lonnie in the midst of dragging a chair closer to the bed. Instead she sighed and gave a quick, tight smile, before going about a brief explanation of what she was doing and what Lonnie should do if x.y.z happened.

Lonnie eyed the monitor, noting its still even beat, and stifled a short laugh as she read Audrey's latest text. She didn't envy the other girl her position; regretted, in fact, that her friend still had to put up with all the drama her parents kicked up. But she also recognized and respected Audrey's determination to fight against the powers that be, especially when she knew the other girl didn't exactly disagree with said powers. Lonnie, on the other hand, didn't really need much of an excuse to fight. There was an injustice happening here, and as long as she had the opportunity then by all the ancestors she was going to do something about it!

The VKs didn't get enough to eat. They didn't get enough sunlight. Or water. Clothes they did possess, but really, Lonnie thought, eyeing the fraying threads in Mal's jeans. Define 'clothes.' The Fairy Godmother, along with Merry, Flo and Faun, had gone almost as pale as Mal as the various results from whatever tests they had done started popping up. They'd fluttered anxiously and whispered together before the Fairy Godmother had decided she needed to make some 'calls;' with all the secretive importance emphasized, before leaving Lonnie unceremoniously 'in charge.'

And so, Lonnie sat and watched Mal's chest rise and fall, eyed the green straps secured around her wrists and ankles, counted how long until the next beep of the monitor. As a game, Lonnie decided to try an exercise her parents had often tried to teach her when she was younger, but never quite had the patience to master. She waited, scrutinizing Mal's breathing a bit more before slowly releasing her own breath and drawing it back in as Mal's chest rose. She was off by a beat of the monitor, so she exhaled slowly and did it again. And again. Until she was barely half a beat off and pretty proud of herself.

She slowly drew her phone from her pocket, still careful of her breath control, and loses when she snorts softly at Audrey's latest text.

{A Rose with Thorns: So dedicated, Lonnie, haha! It's not like you've ever actually done something like this before though.}

Lonnie barely contains her laugh so it comes out more like a heavy puff of air instead of the louder outburst it wants to be. Sure she'd never killed a _person_ before, but her dad liked his hunting trips as much as the next 'modern man,' and even her mom had done her fair share when it came to the nitty gritty of all that such activities required. Many a family vacation consisted of hunting tours disguised as camping trips for the more faint-hearted Auradonians; with Lonnie and her dad going out with weapons drawn and blazing, while her mom scouted their ideal territory and defended it until they got back.

Not to mention of course, the various and mass amount of weapons training that had been engrained in her since she'd turned two. So yes, Lonnie was more than proficient enough to be giving Audrey all the advice she desired.

{A Rose with Thorns: Right? Lonnie?}

{Haha, right…}

And of course, having fun and scaring her just a little bit. Lonnie smirked to herself as she sent the corresponding emoji with the text, effectively giving up on the game of matching her breathing to Mal's as she laughed softly with Audrey's next message; the other girl promising that their discussion was far from over. The bit about Lonnie supposedly having 'murderous tendencies' was just an added bonus in her opinion.

She cast a quick eye back over to Mal as she responded, frowning at the monitor as it seemed to skip a beat before resuming. If the beats were just a tad more rhythmic than their previous steady pace, Lonnie only registered it subconsciously. Consciously, she was debating if her quip to Audrey about watching unconscious girls sleeping being creepy had been in poor taste. But she didn't have much time to debate for long, as the monitor spiked sharply, just as a harsh gasp slipped past Mal's lips.

Instantly, Lonnie was alert, letting her own sharp intake of breath fall in line with Mal's next exhale, her fingers flying over the screen of her phone and producing a massive, barely legible run-on for Audrey to interpret.

{Gottagoexplainlaternotunconsiousanymoreandithinkimightdie.}

She'd hit Send and slipped her phone back into her pocket before Mal had managed another breath, which was really saying something since Lonnie was now actively working to get her own breath back under control. It wasn't quite a game anymore now, though Lonnie wasn't sure yet if she'd truly meant it when she'd said she thought she might die. She eyed the red button beside the monitor to her left; the promise that the Fairy Godmother had left that they would be there right away as soon as she pressed it giving her enough confidence to relax minutely from her tense pose.

As she did, Mal's eyes flickered open, and Lonnie felt a chill at the fire she could see burning in the green within. Then the other girl spoke, and she had another reason to be more concerned.

"Who are you, and why are you still alive?"

Despite being unconscious for almost three hours, Mal's voice, while raspy, held an impossible crackle of power. Instinct and pride kicked in, and Lonnie straightened in her chair, lifting her chin slightly.

"Lonnie, daughter of Fa Mulan and Li Shang," she announces with all the dignity those house names require. "And, as for why I'm not dead, well, it could have something to do with my being assigned to watch over you."

"Great," Mal snaps, the fire dimming from her eyes and leaving a much more natural usual green. "So I guess you're my warden, then?"

Lonnie blinks, relaxing from her stiff posture slowly and making sure her hands were still in her lap.

"Not necessarily," she replies. "I just thought I'd keep you company, and you know, be a friendly face when you finally woke up."

Mal scoffs through her nose, her eyes narrowing at the ceiling. "There's no such thing. And anyway, I don't need 'friendly.' What I need is for you to tell me where the rest of my group is, and then leave before I change my mind about keeping you alive."

Lonnie can't help it. She laughs, chuckling softly while something inside her soars gleefully. She'd finally found someone else who shared her own (admittedly vaguely morbid) sense of humor. She wasn't about to pass this up for anything!

"What part of anything I just said did you not get?" Mal says, frowning, and Lonnie shakes her head quickly, stifling her laughter with difficulty.

"No, I'm sorry," she says, still grinning broadly. "It's just, you're so _me_!"

Mal doesn't seem to know what to say to that, judging by the way her face screws up. Or rather, Lonnie suspects, she was just trying to think of the right curses to use.

"But, to answer your question, the last I saw, Evie Jay and Carlos were together and in the dorms," Lonnie continues, and Mal seems to relax at that, though it's impossible to say for sure as the other girl still seems kind of tense.

"Well that's good to hear," Mal mutters, before laughing herself. "Never thought I'd say 'good' and mean it like that before."

Lonnie smiles a bit, and is all set to make a joke of her own when Mal continues.

"So…guessing by the fact that I can't move and also happen to be in the infirmary, and that _you're_ here instead of, I don't know, Ben or the rest of my group, nothing 'good' is happening outside of those doors."

Lonnie feels her soaring hope sink suddenly, and she sucks a slow breath as she debates the best way to go about this. The fairies hadn't left any instructions on what to do about this, and she idly wonders if she could press the red button now to save herself the difficulty. But that wasn't what either of her parents would do and she knows it, so instead she braces herself for Mal's reaction, and answers.

"After what happened in the gardens, there was a lot of debate about what was going to be done, and how to keep things from spiraling out of control." She keeps her voice level, and calm. Not accusing, and not blaming. Simply stating facts. "It was decided by King Adam that having the VKs in Auradon was too dangerous, and he revoked Ben's decree."

Lonnie stops just before the added clarification that they were going back to the Isle as Mal seemed to have already gotten it. She'd gone almost deathly pale, her fingers gripping the sides of the infirmary bed so tightly Lonnie half expected the metal to start warping.

"He can do that." Mal's voice was blank, also just stating facts, but tight with what Lonnie knew was suppressed panic. "Of course he can. He's the King. Of course he can… _fuck_."

The curse comes out as a trembling breath, and Lonnie had inched herself forward and curled her fingers around Mal's with barely a thought. "It's ok, Mal," she says calmly. "We're not going to let him send you guys back. We're doing everything we can to fight him. It's going to be ok."

She forces herself away from the phrases like 'no one's going to hurt you,' and 'you're not dying,' because she'd seen for herself the realities and well founded-ness of those fears. She doesn't want to give the other girl any more reason for panic, and already, her promises seemed to have broken through.

"You're…what?"

Lonnie subtly shifts her left hand to press the red button, if only because it was about time the fairies knew what was going on, squeezing Mal's hand gently with her right.

"You didn't really think we'd just let him send you back without a fight, did you?"

She says it as lightly as she can, but judging by the way Mal's jaw clenches, it's not as lightly received.

"Well, we are," Lonnie says firmly. "He can't make such a huge decision without approval, and we're going to argue for why it's better for you guys here."

"I don't know whether to be touched," Mal says slowly, her expression pinched. "Or disgusted."

Lonnie blinks, caught off guard. She realizes belatedly that her hand is grasping open air, as Mal had jerked it away at some point during the conversation. Lonnie lets out a reflexive, nervous laugh, and Mal's lips press tighter together.

"I uh…I'm not sure why that would be a bad thing," Lonnie broaches carefully, and Mal's eyes flash indignantly.

"Maybe the part where you Auradonians don't have a fucking _clue_ as to what it's like over there; what our lives are like, and yet here you are _still_ bragging about this wonderful thing you're doing for the poor abused villain kids!"

Mal's tirade ends abruptly, and Lonnie thinks she can practically hear the other girl's jaw snap shut. It hangs there between them, that word, and Lonnie can't think of anything else to say other than:

"I never said you guys were abused."

"You were thinking it," Mal says immediately, her eyes instantly darting away and towards the opposite wall, so Lonnie can no longer make out her expression. "All of you. It's that stupid fucking _pity_ look you do that gives it away."

Before Lonnie can think of an adequate response to that, the door clicks open and the fairies flutter in. Mal's reaction is instantaneous; she tenses, and the eye contact she gives to the Fairy Godmother as the woman enters is like a challenge and a warning and a threat all at once.

"Well I'm relieved to see you awake at least," the Fairy Godmother says, either not noticing or just tactfully not mentioning the look in Mal's eyes. "How are you feeling, Mal?"

"Pissed as all fuck."

Lonnie spreads her hands helplessly at the Fairy Godmother's lifted brow, while Merry chokes in the background.

"Well," the Fairy Godmother finally says slowly. "I suppose that's to be expected given just how much magic you exhausted."

"Yeah," Mal mutters lowly. "It's not like I had sixteen years' worth of magic locked inside me or anything. No consequences there at all."

No one misses the sharp bitterness in her tone, but Lonnie somehow gets the impression that it's not necessarily directed at them. Regardless, it causes the fairies to exchange a tight, anxious look, and the Fairy Godmother to straighten severely.

"Yes," she says tightly, checking Mal's monitor and adjusting the IV minutely. "In regards to that, Mal, we have some questions for you."

Mal tenses further, something guarded going up behind her eyes. "Ok," she says carefully, and the Fairy Godmother exchanges another glance with the fairies before turning back to Mal.

"Given the extent of your 'magical hiatus,' if you will, the range and capabilities you demonstrated in the gardens should have been nearly impossible; even with tapping into the loose magic here in Auradon."

Mal's eyes flicker, but her expression remains more or less the same. She nods her head as if to say 'ok, and?' and the Fairy Godmother lifts a brow at her in a silent counter. Lonnie has to fight to remain neutral and unnoticed in this battle of wills, and she fiddles idly with the cuff of her bracelet as Mal's jaw clenches slightly.

"Yes," Mal says finally, and the Fairy Godmother seems subtly surprised. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting to win that interaction. "My mother taught me magic on the Isle. She started when I was four, and didn't stop even when the limo pulled up to our door a week ago."

Lonnie thinks a smile might have crept around the edges of Mal's mouth at those last words, but it's gone too fast for her to tell for sure. The Fairy Godmother nods, and looks strangely pleased.

"I suspected as much," she says. "And, as loathe as I am to admit this given the circumstances, teaching you about magic and the extent of your own was…is, a good thing."

Mal blinks, and the guardedness in her eyes falls away. "Really?"

"Yes, well, I doubt the king would be pleased to hear such news," the Fairy Godmother admits ruefully. "But, really. I shudder to think of just how much damage could have been done if you'd simply been let loose in Auradon without such knowledge or grasp of your abilities, surrounded by untapped magic…."

She trails off with a vague sound and Mal straightens on the bed, latching onto something in the other woman's words.

"Yes, well," Mal says, in precisely the same cadence and tone as the older fairy. "I'll be sure to tell my mother when I see her that Fairy Godmother herself said that breaking the law and teaching me magic was a good thing."

"If I have anything to say for it, and believe me, I _do_ , it will be some time yet before that happens," the Fairy Godmother replies without hesitation, and something uncertain crosses Mal's face.

"I thought the King made a decree," she says slowly, inching her way further upright.

"He did," the Fairy Godmother admits. "But if he thinks he's just going to toss you four back to that Isle without any reckoning from me, well…he has another thing coming."

"This from the woman who helped make the decision to _restrain Carlos_ ," Mal snarls through gritted teeth, her own wrists straining pointedly. "Forgive me if I'm not exactly leaping for joy."

"It…was a decision that I believed was necessary at the time," the Fairy Godmother answers carefully, her voice heavy. "And one that I do deeply regret, as I fear you no longer trust that I have your best interests at heart."

"Don't take it too personally," Mal mutters. "It's not a first for us and it won't be the last, so spare me the tearful apologies."

She was doing that thing again, Lonnie realized with a start. Just like in the gardens and briefly what Lonnie had witnessed in the cafeteria that one time. Lashing out and hurling insults, putting up a fight to cover her fear. The Fairy Godmother notices it too, if the slightly concerned, 'not buying your act' look on her face was any indication. Before either of them could respond, however, Faun stepped forward and spoke instead.

"If anyone should be apologizing, it's you," she says sternly, leveling Mal with a surprisingly fierce look. "But as it stands, we have other important things to discuss: such as your lifestyle habits. So if you'd be so kind as to tell us…"

"I know you," Mal says, cutting across the young woman's tirade. "Why do I know you?"

The girl's eyes narrow, and Lonnie thinks she sees a hint of green sparking in them before Mal's expression clears and it's gone again.

"Oh right," Mal says softly, a dangerous undercurrent in her tone. "That's why."

And before anyone has time to question how or what, the edge of Faun's cape is suddenly showered in sparks, the fabric catching almost instantly in such a flare of brilliant green, it makes the young woman's hair look cheap in comparison.

" _That_ ," Mal says, "Was for killing my mother." Her voice is startlingly weak despite the triumph that colors her tone.

Merry and Flo shoot her matching, disgruntled looks while Faun smoothly whips her cape off her shoulder and stomps firmly on the flames.

"I suppose…it's only fair," Faun gasps breathlessly, glaring at the now thoroughly ruined cape beneath her feet, and holding out a hand to calm her twittering siblings and the Fairy Godmother. "Although, for the record Mal, we didn't kill your mother. That would be uh, our mothers, but seeing as they live in Camelot you'll have a hard time reaching them."

She smiles tightly in the face of Mal's scowl, and Lonnie has to give the young fairy-woman massive credit for her guts, and for her calm. The Fairy Godmother clears her throat pointedly, and Mal's glare shifts focus, though Lonnie can see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, the subtle clenching of her hands.

"I think," the Fairy Godmother says slowly, clearly struggling to remain calm. "That it would be best if I only had one of you here, to minimize…well."

Lonnie sighs, inwardly sinking in defeat before rising from her chair. She knew she would be kicked out eventually, but still, she _had_ been hoping….

"Lonnie dear," the Fairy Godmother says softly, and Lonnie blinks, looking up at the other woman. "Would you mind terribly staying? I know it's a lot to ask of you but-"

"No of course," Lonnie blurts, then clears her throat, composing herself quickly and slipping into a far more neutral tone. "I mean, I'd be glad to help."

The splutters and protests from the other fairies are silenced by Faun, who tosses the Fairy Godmother a brief, grateful look before shooing her siblings out the door. Lonnie turns carefully and resumes her seat, suddenly aware of the fact that now it was just her, the Fairy Godmother, and Mal, and while she still wasn't afraid, she was certainly more cautious. If Mal decided she didn't like her, what then? Would she be roasted just as the fairies had been?

"Those three," the Fairy Godmother sighs, shaking her head. "While I don't condone your actions in the slightest, Mal, I do know how overwhelming they can be at times."

Mal makes a quite humming sound that Lonnie thinks might have been a laugh, but says nothing else, and the Fairy Godmother continues.

"That being said, due to the recent circumstances I think that it's best that while you remain here in Auradon I continue with your magic lessons."

"I don't…I don't get it," Mal mutters, her fingers tapping against the bars of the bed. "There's a whole decree. We're not going to be in Auradon for much longer. Why are you…?"

"Because I think it's important for you to have as much knowledge about your magic as possible," the Fairy Godmother says, cutting across Mal's protest. "And as for your last concern well, as I said, I'm going to do everything I can to ensure your stay here."

"And we're all helping," Lonnie chimes in, finally glad to have things back on a track she can follow. "Ben has a plan. We're not going to leave you to the Isle again."

"Thanks," Mal says shortly, her eyes sharp even if her voice didn't quite carry it. "But no thanks. We've seen all we need to; Auradon's fine or whatever but the Isle is where we belong. Clearly."

"Mal, I understand that things seem difficult…impossible even. But I really think if you give us a chance-"

"No." Mal snaps, and her tone is sharp as she bares her teeth in a fierce expression at the Fairy Godmother. "You don't get a say here. You don't get to just bippidy boppidy boo things better this time. Not after what you did to Carlos…to us." She shakes her head, gritting her jaw. "No."

The Fairy Godmother looks stunned, and then resigned, nodding her head slowly and taking a half step back. "I understand," she says softly. "But I hope you understand that I do care about what happens to you. All of you. And I will still be here whenever you are ready."

She turns for the door then, and Lonnie starts slightly. It's an entirely understandable strategy; a tactical retreat and regroup, but the gesture still leaves her caught off guard and more unsure than ever before. The Fairy Godmother pauses before leaving to look back at her with a reassuring smile and a nod.

"I'll be just in the hall." She says it to both of them, and yet Lonnie is sure it's entirely for her benefit. "If you need anything."

And then she's gone, and Lonnie is alone with Mal. The room is silent for a tense moment, and then Mal lets out a harsh exhale and sits fully upright in the bed, stretching down to undo the straps around her ankles.

"Finally," the other girl mutters under her breath. "About time she got the fucking hint."

Lonnie blinks, though she's not as surprised as she should have been that Mal had somehow freed herself from the restraints. Honestly, the girl had been secretly wondering how long it would take the other to do just that, and Lonnie is secretly pleased to see that she hadn't underestimated the other girl.

"Do you want me to go, too?" she asks, and Mal sighs again, laying back against the pillows.

"No," she says, then frowns. "I mean yes, but…no."

"Ok." Lonnie eases back in her chair just a bit, and Mal seems to relax slightly as well.

"Why didn't you run?" Mal says, and Lonnie looks up at her, but the other girl's eyes are closed, her hands still at her sides. "In the garden. Now. Aren't you terrified of the horrible villains?"

"I don't see any horrible villains," Lonnie answers honestly, and Mal's hands turn into fists again, but her eyes remain closed, impassive. "I just see kids. Like us."

"I am _nothing_ like you," Mal spits, her eyes opening enough to dart a narrow-eyed glare in Lonnie's direction. "None of us are, and that was your first mistake. Assuming that we're in any way like you."

"Ok," Lonnie says, eager for the challenge but anxious as to just what she might find out if she pressed. "How are we different?"

Mal scoffs, forcing herself upright and glaring at Lonnie. "Well let's start with the simple fact that our parents are villains and yours are heroes and go from there."

"That doesn't necessarily mean…," Lonnie tries, but falls silent at the sharp look Mal gives her. "Ok," she concedes instead. "Maybe it does, but it _doesn't_ change the fact that you guys are still kids, and pretty much just want the same things we do."

"Which are what, again?" Mal asks, that same sharp skepticism reflecting in her voice. "I guess we were all just so busy with staying alive and avoiding our parents that we forgot."

And Lonnie definitely seized on that little bit of information, noting the tight inflection as Mal said the words 'avoiding our parents'; the way she seemed to tense over the phrase. That and of course, the emphasis on staying alive, as if every minute not spent looking over your shoulder resulted in a painful death. Or just pain in general. It's a horribly sobering thought, and one that Lonnie doesn't want to focus on but knows that she has to if this is going to work.

"Well," Lonnie says, forcing a light tone despite the fact that this wasn't anything to be light over. "Really it's just simple living, you know? Things like having friends, having _fun_. Love, family. Stuff like that."

"My point still stands," Mal says, her words clipped in what Lonnie thinks might be anger, but suspects is something heavier. Grief.

"But even on the Isle you guys had to have had _something_ like that," Lonnie tries, and Mal smirks without humor.

"Something like that."

Lonnie is entirely silent, unable to process- no, she's able to process, she just doesn't want to. Doesn't want to think of all the implications, doesn't want to imagine the things the VKs might have gone through. Mal takes in the look on her face, seeming to read her thoughts from her expression. This time when she smiles, it's a bit more genuine, though Lonnie feels vaguely horrified by it.

"It's ok," the girl says, with far too much calm for the ideas going through Lonnie's head. "We're used to getting Auradon's leftovers."

And that's when it solidifies in Lonnie's mind just how messed up a system it was. That the VK's lives were so far removed from their own; that even the idea of things like family and friends (love) were nothing more than unwanted leftovers. Just the same cast off ideals from Auradon, sent to the same trash filled demise as everything else- to the Isle of the Lost.

* * *

 ** _Chad_**

Finding de Vil hadn't been hard. Threatening him hadn't been hard either, especially when the freak had thrown a fit about his shirt. Pulling back his fist hadn't been hard, it'd been effortless, the anger in his head translating through the anger in his body. The reaction from de Vil was instant; he grew small, his eyes closing as his arms came up to hug his body. A tactic Chad recognized as an attempt to protect his stomach. It wouldn't matter. The freak was going to get what was coming to him and that was that, no matter what he said.

Except he didn't say anything, which made it…difficult. Difficult for Chad to hang onto his anger as all the stress and worry and concern began to wear at him. Difficult, because as Chad steeled himself to swing his fist forward, readying his other hand to grab the other boy and keep him in place, the boy was pressing himself backwards against the metal lockers, his shoulders coming up defensively.

And suddenly it wasn't de Vil on front of him. It was his mother. With that same wavering expression on her face. The same hunched shoulders. The same tightly shut eyes; the head ducked and waiting….waiting….waiting….

Chad clenched his jaw against the sick feeling in his stomach, the gasp that wanted to escape. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true, just a coincidence. The freak was probably beaten up all the time on the Isle, and really, it wasn't any surprise. But something in the slump of the smaller boy's body made Chad pause. It wasn't tense, like someone who would fight back against a peer. It was a weak gesture, a submissive one that spoke of defeat, of accepting pain from someone you knew was higher above you. Someone you couldn't…wouldn't _dare_ to…fight back against.

It couldn't be true. It wasn't true. But Chad had _seen_ that same submissive slump before. Knew what came with it, and he forced his hands back by his sides and wiped his face of any expression.

It wasn't true. Couldn't be. Chad waited a moment, and watched as de Vil slowly drew his head up between his arms. Only a little, only so Chad could see the cautious glint in his dark eyes. It wasn't quite fear, he noticed morbidly. Just caution; wary and anxious.

It wasn't true, but he had to know. If it wasn't just a matter of de Vil being kicked around by other villains' kids. If it was closer than that. Chad shifted his weight, bracing his hands at his sides as though for balance, and deliberately drew his right leg back, twisting his body slightly as he did so.

The fear flashed across de Vil's face then, blowing his eyes wide as a half-stuttered curse slipped past his lips. And it was instinct, Chad could tell. Chad _knew_. Instinct that drove Carlos back into the lockers in a desperate scramble for safety. Instinct that made the submissive slump in his spine that much more weak and vulnerable.

Chad waits barely a breath before dropping his leg and moving forward, his heart thudding in his chest as his stomach clenched painfully. He reached out and placed his hand on Carlos' shoulder again, grabbing at his collar like he was going to slam the other boy against the metal lockers.

"Ssorry." Carlos whimpered, his body tucking tighter against itself. "I'm-m ssory…"

 _I'm sorry. Let me fix it. Please, I'm sorry!_

"Fucking son of a bitch," Chad hissed sharply, his hand faltering at Carlos' shoulder. "I can't do this."

It's true. He can't do this. He _knows_. It was true. He forced himself to back away slowly, intentionally angling his body away and into a less threatening pose. He hears Carlos splutter slightly, confusion and fading terror making his baffled 'What?' that much shakier.

"Just…." Give me a minute, Chad wanted to say. He needed time to process this, but there was no time and there _had_ been a point to this confrontation. "Fuck it, just…follow me."

And he knew his voice wasn't sharp enough, wasn't cruel enough to make sense or be obeyed but that was to be expected right?

"F-f-follow you?" Carlos repeated, and Chad bit back his wavering emotions and forced a sneer onto his face.

"Yes, follow me. What, did I _stutter_?" He had to fight against the guilt his insult pulled up, but it made Carlos angry at least, and the other boy straightened, effectively losing the last bit of that horrible submissiveness.

"Ass-hole," Carlos mumbled, and Chad grit his jaw, turning his grimace into a sharper sneer. He was an asshole, he reminded himself. But he was an asshole with a purpose, and a traumatized mother, and a hurting friend/roommate that was owed an apology before anything else.

But it was hard. Hard to ignore the nagging familiarity, that sense of vulnerability that seemed to hug the shoulders of the boy beside him; even as he struggled and protested against Chad's grip. It was hard to ignore that, but Chad managed well enough. At least until they reached the door to room number 40, and he extended his hand to tap Carlos' shoulder. The boy flinched sharply, like Chad's tap had been a hit, and suddenly it was that much harder to maintain the façade.

"Right here," Chad managed tightly, pressing his lips together as he knocked on the door. He heard a muffled hum of assent from the other side and shoved the door open, pulling Carlos in after him and shutting the door again before it was too late.

Aziz sat on the bed, one leg tucked under him while the other hung down, idly tapping against Nikhil's side. The other boy was on the floor, his arms wrapped around his guitar, and picking out a song that Chad only vaguely recognized. As Chad entered the room, Aziz nudged his boyfriend's side again, causing the other boy's fingers to slip on the strings, the guitar emitting a sharp *twang* in response. Nikhil made a fond yet exasperated noise and glanced up, and that was when he saw Carlos.

His body tensed, his arms shifting to slide the guitar onto the floor beside him. His movement drew Aziz's attention, and the other boy sucked his breath in sharply, leaping to his feet and scowling furiously.

"Oh _fuck_ no!" He snapped, and Chad groaned inwardly.

Damn it. He should have known this would be a bad idea the second he'd made his connection in the hallway. But it was too late to turn back now, as Carlos stiffened defensively and pressed himself against the door behind Chad, both Aziz and Nikki now on their feet and barely a breath away from exploding.

"No, stop." Chad said firmly, and though even he didn't know who he was addressing, everyone paused in their tracks. "Guys," he said slowly to Aziz and Nikki, frowning sharply in warning. "Just hang on a second."

"What is he doing here?" Nikki said, his chin lifting sharply to indicate Carlos, who was still stiff and unyielding by the door.

"He's here to listen, and apologize," Chad said, still with that warning in his voice. His words made Carlos flinch (he could feel it in the sharp shift of movement behind him) and Aziz shake his head.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," he said, and though his hostility was expected, it still threw a further wrench in Chad's plan.

"We appreciate what you're trying to do Chad," Nikki said evenly.

"No we don't," Aziz broke in in an undertone, shooting Chad a dark look.

"But I think it's best if he leaves. No offense," Nikki finished, adding the last two words with a wince in Carlos' direction.

"T-taken," Carlos shot back, but he said it as part of his retreat, his hand already turning the knob of the door.

"Nope," Chad growled through his teeth, tugging Carlos back and around so he stood between the boy and the door. "You're staying. This is happening."

"Chad..."

"Aziz," Chad fired back, and the other boy blinked.

"…Carlos…," Chad said, and if it was strange for him to actually say the boy's name aloud, it was stranger for him to hear it, if the slight jerk he gave was any indication. "Sit."

Chad tugged him a bit closer and in the general direction of the grey bean bag chair. Nikki made a soft, despairing noise of protest, while Aziz clicked his tongue sharply in agitation. Carlos meanwhile, staggered slightly in shock and stared at Chad with something that was like bewilderment, and Chad turned his own despairing groan into a growl.

"Sit down, de Vil," he said sharply, and Carlos blinked before sitting cautiously.

Despite his care, the boy still almost fell off of the bean bag, and the absolutely stunned look on his face would have been hilarious and even adorable if it weren't for the fragile atmosphere. A fraction of Nikki's hostility went out of his face at Carlos' blunder, but Aziz remained impassive, crossing his arms tightly and clenching his jaw. Chad watched with equal parts trepidation and…not exactly pity, but it was heavy and sad all the same- as Carlos warily righted the chair, pushing on it experimentally with his hands. The chair sagged and rolled at his touch, the 'beans' inside squishing noisily, and something light and surprised flickered around the edges of the other boy's mouth; reflecting in his eyes. Chad sighed, bringing his palm up to his face.

"Just _sit_ in it, Carlos," he said wearily, and the boy looked up, instantly snapped back into the present.

He clenched his jaw and pushed on the chair one more time, as though daring Chad to challenge him about it, then shifted his body around and sat much more uprightly in the chair. Then he glanced over towards Nikki and Aziz, and seemed to realize just how close he was to them. Chad watched the realization crawl across his face, and Carlos bit his lip before carefully scooting the bean bag a few inches back and closer towards the wall.

Aziz threw his hands up and rolled his eyes angrily at Chad. The sudden movement made Carlos stiffen on the grey bean bag, but no one else seemed to catch it but Chad. It just further solidified that comparison; that wrongness, in his mind, as well as strengthen his resolve to bring some kind of resolution to this situation if he could.

"Right," Chad said, nodding his head in Carlos' direction. " _This_ is why he is here. He is going to listen; you guys are going to talk, and hopefully by the end of it there'll be an understanding."

"It's not that simple!" Aziz cried, all but collapsing onto the edge of the bed, at the same moment Carlos bit out:

"There's m-more to it than thththat!"

"More to it than, what, exactly?" Nikki sat down on the bed beside Aziz, his movements and his words deliberately calm. "More than our lack of ability to properly fuck a woman, as Jay so _eloquently_ put it?"

"Wait," Chad said, practically choking. "Wait. Wait." He reached behind him and pulled out his deck chair, sitting in it and closing his eyes a moment, shaking his head. "He said what?"

"Thank. You." Aziz sniped, lifting his shoulders in an exaggerated 'see?' gesture. "I fucking _told_ you…!"

"Tell me why I only dragged him here?" Chad replied, still stunned and more than vaguely sickened as he glanced at Carlos, who had tucked himself into the beanbag chair defensively but was still glaring in Aziz and Nikki's direction, his face a mask.

"There's more to it tha-than that," he repeated firmly, and it took all of Chad's self-control not to launch himself back into the mindset he'd been in in the hallway.

"What more?" he said instead, and Carlos' eyes flickered.

"Do you mean the part where Evie rather suggestively said that the right girl would come along eventually, but that in the mean-time it wasn't really attractive that we were so 'desperate'?" Nikhil deadpanned, not breaking eye contact with Carlos. "Or the part where Mal told us that we were lucky this was Auradon because if we'd been on the Isle she probably would have killed us both for existing?"

"And by probably, she meant definitely," Aziz added tightly, in such a tone that Chad didn't doubt that it had also been a direct quote.

"Right," he said. "So, I clearly grabbed the wrong person and I'll be right back," Chad muttered dazedly, about to abandon ship when Carlos scrambled his way up from the beanbag, his eyes blazing darkly.

"Wh-wh-what about the part wwhere you have to avoid certain shops in the marketplace?" he declared hotly, his hands in shaking fists at his sides. "Because if you don't then you mmmight not come back? Or-or-or the part where people like you can do wh-whatever they want to people like me because they 'just can't help wwho they like'?"

Carlos drew a ragged, shaky breath, and when he blinked Chad saw the emotions he was trying to suppress. Could hear the edge of tears in his voice.

"Or the part where they say that you shouldn't give the wro-wrong impression…shouldn't look like tha-tha-that or act like that. Or else it's just an op-pen inv-v-itation."

Carlos blinked harder, and his expression slipped, losing its fierce edge and shifting into something pained and vulnerable. He shook his head and glanced in Aziz's direction. It wasn't long, but it was enough to make the other boy falter, if only for a second, and for Carlos to lean his weight towards the door. Nikki just blinked, so thrown he couldn't have spoken if he tried; Chad knew because he felt the same way.

"I've hheard it too," Carlos finally whispered, dropping his eyes and clenching his hands into fists again. "I-i-it's different on the Isle. No-not like here."

He shifted his weight again, closer to the door now, but Chad wasn't about to stop him. Not this time. The boy hesitated at the door, however, his hands opening and closing rapidly before he lifted his head, darting another glance towards the two boys on the bed.

"I'm nnnot sorry. I can't be"

And then he was gone, leaving behind two shaken and shattered figures, and a third who wondered just what the fuck he was supposed to do about this now.

* * *

 **Ben**

They're barely down the steps to the dorms, and already Ben is questioning everything. Chad hadn't said a single word since the door closed, but once they're back in the main lobby of the dorm building, he rushes to nearest wall and punches it hard.

"Chad?" Ben cries, alarmed, as his friend hisses a curse between his teeth, shaking out his hand and glaring fiercely towards nothing in particular.

"Fine, the other boy grumbles, straightening and sucking a sharp breath. "I'm fine. They're not, and fucking _shit_ Ben did you not hear what I just heard?"

Ben blinks, so caught off guard by Chad's rapidly shifting emotions that it takes him a moment to realize that the other boy's frustration is directed at him this time.

"Yeah Chad," he finally manages shakily. "Yeah, I did hear, but I don't…"

"And you're just _standing_ there?" Chad snaps, whirling on Ben before realizing they were still in a relatively public area, and instantly retreating, losing some of his manic demeanor. "How are you just standing there?"

It's a far different Chad that Ben is seeing now, compared to how he'd been back in the VKs' room; back when they'd first arrived, even. Ben narrows his eyes slowly, examining the set of Chad's jaw, the way he kept moving his feet even standing still.

"I missed something, didn't I?" Ben says, and Chad rolls his eyes with a quick huff.

"Yes, you did," he says lowly. "Gods Ben, how could you not…"

"No, I mean you," Ben clarifies quickly, shifting the two of them into a more secluded section of the lobby. "What was that in there, Chad? Why were you such a…so…?"

Clarification, and maybe a hint of annoyance, crossed Chad's face then, and he gives Ben a sort of sideways look.

"Why was I such an asshole?" he finishes, and Ben gives the other boy a look of his own. "I mean come on, Ben. You wanted to know what things were like on the Isle, but they weren't gonna answer to you being…you."

Ben gapes, vaguely offended, and Chad makes a sharp noise in the back of his throat, running a hand through his hair.

"I _mean_ ," he continues shortly. "You being all sad and sorry, all your pity and concern and 'oh tell us how horribly abused you were.'" He grimaces sharply and continues. "I mean, you heard Jay-it wasn't going to work. They wouldn't tell you what shit they went through like that. But if I'm a dick to them, and play into their disbelief and suspicion, they'll say whatever they can to shut me up."

He trails off with a guilty and slightly haunted look, and Ben nods his head slowly, catching on.

"So it was a trick," he says, not exactly approving, but well. It had gotten them the information they wanted.

Chad shrugs a shoulder and crosses his arms, and Ben shakes his head in amazement at the other boy's audacity.

"I just don't get why you wanted to be there in the first place," he says, mimicking Chad's pose and crossing his own arms. "I was pretty much convinced you hated the VKs and you'd be celebrating my Dad's decree."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I can totally see why he thinks what he does," Chad replies, seeming to tuck a little tighter into his aggressive posture. "But I wasn't quite done with de Vil and anyway, I wanted to form my own opinions."

"Done with him?" Ben repeats carefully, suddenly extremely guarded. Chad's face twitches, his eyes widening minutely before he slowly shrugs his shoulders.

"Ha ha, yeah I uh… may have threatened to beat Carlos into a pulp after um. After what happened with Nikki and Aziz."

"Chad!" Ben hisses, frowning hard as he glared at the other boy. "Didn't we talk about this?"

"Yeah, we did," Chad mutters, his eyes suddenly hardening to match Ben's glare. "But you know, the specifics of my tendency to hit people that piss me off were never fully addressed, and there wasn't really anything related to homophobes and villains, so…."

"Chad."

"What?" Chad snaps back, but Ben notices that he looks at least a little sorry. "I didn't, if that makes you feel any better. Really kind of wish I could, though."

"Why?" Ben furrows his brows at the other boy. "What did I miss, Chad…why did you really want to see the VKs?"

"Like I said," Chad says tightly, his arms tightening across his chest. "I was going to beat Carlos for what happened in the gardens. But then I noticed just how similar…." He trails off with a grimace, his eyes flickering.

"Your mom," Ben finishes, half-guess and half-confirmation that this was real.

"Yeah," Chad says, his jaw gritting slightly. "So instead of stomping him into the ground I dragged him to see Nikki and Aziz, thinking maybe I could get him to apologize or something, I don't even know, really."

Ben feels his face shift without permission, his brows lifting in surprise. "I…um. Oh," he chokes out carefully. "How did…how did that go?"

"About as well as all of this has been going," Chad growls, frustration screwing up his face and turning his expression sour. "Found out that things on the Isle are so much more fucked up than they already appear, and that there's a good chance-" He catches himself, shaking his head. "Never mind."

"Is that where the emergency meeting sprung up from, then?" Ben hazards, the tense reactions from Aziz and Nikki suddenly making much more (if not tragic) sense.

"Pretty much," Chad replies, sighing and leaning back against a wood-furnished pillar. "What are we gonna do Ben?"

Ben shakes his head, letting out a short sigh of his own. "I don't know."

And he really didn't. That was the worst part. He'd had this whole plan to try and unite the two different sides of Auradon; the two warring sides of the fairytales. But this wasn't like the stories at all, and he had no clue how he was going to salvage this. If it even could be salvaged.

"The Council's not gonna to go for any of this," Chad murmurs, lifting his head to peer at Ben. "You do know that, right? Villains, kids or not…especially the villains from _their_ stories; abuse or not."

"All of them, do you think?" Ben presses, wondering how Chad knew, why he was so sure. And how Ben was the one looking to Chad for advice, for once.

"Most of them," Chad says, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "I mean, you know your Dad's going to have the most weight so. And my Dad…will probably vote to send them back. My Mom won't, of course, but her votes don't do much."

Ben winces at Chad's tone, nonchalant despite the practically brutal way he tore all of Ben's hopes to pieces

"The Fairy Godmother will vote to keep them here," Ben tries. "And Aladdin made it pretty clear where he stood at the last meeting."

"Yeah, but then there's Phillip and Aurora," Chad counters easily. "And as much as I…I don't doubt Audrey or anything, but there's no guarantee."

"So basically," Ben says, trying not to focus on Chad's sudden dodge. "Unless we get some other votes for our side, the VKs are going back to the Isle and will sink right back into what they were before."

"Basically," Chad agrees grimly, and Ben grimaces, closing his eyes tightly against the rush of despair in his mind.

"Why do you do that?" he finds himself wondering out loud, and Chad makes a questioning sound before verbalizing.

"Do what?"

"Why do you always destroy the things you don't like?" Ben says, opening his eyes and fixing Chad with a square look.

Chad meets his eyes, and Ben is startled by the hollow ache he can see reflected in the other boy's face. "Because I was never allowed to when I was little," he says. "And now at least, if I break things, or people- it's _my_ mess to clean up."

But who's going to clean up mine? Ben wonders mournfully, as Chad shoves himself away from the pillar (away from him) and heads for the main entrance. And who's going to stop you this time…what's to stop you from deciding to break something you can't fix, just because you can? What do you expect me to do if the thing you actually end up not liking is me?

Ben shakes his head and makes his own way towards the door. He had to find the Fairy Godmother and then, face his parents. His thoughts could wait; his fears and questions could go unanswered. If he failed in this situation that he had created for himself, this first act of his not-yet-reign, then he was no more fit to call himself a king than his father did. Because a true king worked for all of his people, not just the ones he approved of and acknowledged. And that, Ben knew for fact.

* * *

 _[Unaddressed letter to Mr. Oscar Ville, Isle of the Lost]_

 _Dear Carlos,_

 _Is the 'dear' a bit weird? It might be. A bit._

 _This is just a letter to…say that I'm sorry. I know you probably don't even know who I am or why I'm apologizing, but it stands. I'm sorry._


	23. We are the angry and the desperate pt 2

**Hey guys! I hope this kind of short chapter finds you well and on time...as for the time, all I can really say is 'Oops I did it again!' (Bonus points if you get that reference.)**

 **Before I get to the reviews, I just want to remind you _to not skip the Author's Notes_, especially on this chapter as I have some extremely _important warnings _ for you.**

 **Ok, now to the reviews.**

* * *

 **EvietoyourMal: If you thought that was intense… haha, but yes, help is definitely needed but it's on the way! I'm slowly starting to lay that foundation of trust between the VKs and the AKs, and I'm glad you picked up on that little bit of foreshadowing with Mal and Lonnie. :) And yeah, finally got into it and some more of the angsty backstory there. I'm glad you liked the letter though and that you enjoy and look forward to my story so much! I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **tigerladygamer: Haha, yeah she is! I debated having her sleep a bit longer and showing everyone else moving around her and how they coped without her, but then I figured it would slow things down too much and I still have so much to cover, so I woke her up.**

 **And I will work on the timing and try to make it better for updating, haha. It's just that evenings/nights are my only times where I have any significant length of writing time, so that's usually when I end up coordinating my updates. And yes, adulting, what is that? I just got shoved into the whole thing with no instruction manuals and not enough time for shit, lol. A break sounds nice. ;)**

 **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! We will be getting a look into Ben's plans for the council soon and in the mean time I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Nyehhhhh: I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying this so much! Hopefully this update was soon enough for you and that you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **HeirOfTheHowlingWolves: Hey, it's good to hear from you again. I'm glad you're still following along. And yes, there is a very valid (and canon endorsed) reason for that, but you'll have to keep reading to find out what that is. ;)**

 **StoryWriting1414: I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so much, and that you love Carlos as much as I do, lol, and that you think I'm writing him so well. While I think the things the Core Four each went through their own terrible things, Carlos definitely drew the short straw. You don't need to worry, there will definitely be more of him in this fic, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Jewelz1642: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed my take on the dynamic between Aurora and Phillip. I was afraid people might be up in arms that I so brutally crushed their fairy-tale/childhood dreams, but I'm relieved to see you liked it, haha. Even if I did crush you a little bit. ;)**

 **And I'm glad you thought it was so accurate, and that you liked my dynamic duo of Mal and Lonnie, as well as seeing the flashback of the confrontation with Aziz and Nikki. It was definitely one of the more painful moments to write, and I am also looking forward to when that friendship is resolved, lol. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy.**

 **manticore-gurl071134: You're welcome, and thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and I hope you'll enjoy this update just as much. :)**

 **GuestWhoLovesYou: Aw, thank you! I'm glad I could make you so excited with just a simple update. :) And I'm glad my AK chapter worked out and went across as I had hoped.**

 **And yeah, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to sound rude or dismissive or anything. It was just hard to figure out how to answer all of your questions, and most of them I either hinted at or have plans to elaborate on in the future. But there will be answers, so hopefully that will be some comfort. We actually get into some of Evie's backstory and banishment, etc. here, so I hope you'll enjoy that, too and I look forward to hearing what you think. :)**

 **Guest2: Haha, indeed!**

 **cross-over-lover232: That's actually not a bad idea at all, thank you for the suggestion. I've been trying to figure out how I would do any kind of Chad/Dizzy interaction and I just might do something like that. :) I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Kry Chi : Hey, it's good to hear from you again! Glad to see you're still following along, and that you're enjoying all my angst, lol. ;) In answer to your question, yes, it's pretty safe to assume. I'll be getting into some more of the backstory and details in later chapters, but all the VKs have had some kind of experience with assault, not just Jay. Yeah. Yeah, really just endless angst there…. Despite that, I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Time Turner: Is your name a HP reference by any chance? Haha, welcome to story, and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so much and that you like the way I'm portraying the characters. :) Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **spicyanemones:** **Interesting username, lol. Welcome and thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so much and that you're liking how I'm portraying all the characters. I hope you will continue to enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **The **TRIGGER WARNINGS ** for this chapter are extremely important to be aware of! They are as follows: *Triggers for issues dealing with mental health, especially depression and self-harm* Descriptions of depression and self-harm are in this chapter.* Warnings for blood/mentions of blood. And then the standard, language, violence, implied/mentioned child abuse, implied/mentioned neglect, and brief mentions of homophobia, as well as bullying, and threats of bullying.**

* * *

 **Note 2:**

 **Ok guys, I'm going to be all blunt and angsty again. I uh...I kind of hate this chapter, to be honest. Sorry. It's just...rough. I mean, important character developments and all, but I don't know, it just feels rough to me.**

 **As I mentioned above, _this chapter does contain self-harm_. I tried my best to be delicate and respectful of the subject matter, and as I also have similar struggles I did not want to flinch away from it or pretend like it doesn't exist. It was _extremely_ hard to write, as the thoughts and processes that the character (Evie) experiences were drawn from my own, so I have basically laid myself out there for you all to witness. I may or may not have accidentally triggered myself writing it, and that's not to sound like a bid for attention or to try and make you pity me or anything (don't. seriously stop.) it's to further emphasize that my warnings and triggers are not to be taken lightly and are in place for a reason!**

 **I have placed a little marker before the scene in question, and just in case you want to skip it and not risk it at all, then please, feel free to just skip over Evie's POV at the beginning of the chapter. I won't be offended, I really don't want to make anyone else go through that.**

 **I appreciate all of you guys so much and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! I nervously anticipate your response.**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **Note 3: Final one, just in case anyone wanted to know the songs that inspired this chapter. 'Paint it Black' by the Rolling Stones, specifically the cover by Hidden Citizens **

**'Prayer of the Refugee' is the chapter title, (as well as last chapter's)**

 **'Sweet Dreams are Made of This ,' specifically the version by Emily Browning from Sucker Punch, **

**and 'Exit Music (For A Film)' by Radiohead.**

 **Ok, now you can enjoy the chapter, and the music.**

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

 _"What do you want, Uma?"_

 _"What do I want?" The other girl repeated, that throaty laugh bubbling up in her voice, a dark gleam in her eyes._ "Everything."

Mal glared fiercely, her lips twisting into a snarl. "Seems I'm fresh out of 'everything,'" she fired back icily. "I meant what do you want right now? What do you want for Jay?"

Uma's mouth twitched, something flashing behind her eyes. "Well that you'll have to take up with Harry, _Mal_. I think he's grown attached to your little…playmate."

Mal swore harshly under her breath, and would have thrown herself at the other girl right then, except Gil gripped her shoulder and squeezed _hard_ , so Mal's lunge became more of a twitch. Uma laughed darkly, before turning her head and bringing her thumb and index fingers to her lips and whistling sharply. Something creaked deep beneath the deck, and a harsher laugh than Uma's filtered up through the wood, the sound wild and free and entirely cruel. Gil's grip on her fingers tightened even further, but it wasn't necessary, as Mal had gone still at the sound, her own hand clenching into tight fists at her sides.

"Harry," Uma called in a sing-song, her eyes flickering to take in Mal's reaction before grinning. "Could you bring our guest up on deck, please?"

She seemed to emphasize the 'please,' as though this were Auradon, or a visit between friends and not sworn enemies. Harry's voice murmured something that Mal couldn't make out, but then the deck creaked harder in rhythm with a set of footsteps. Mal could hear Harry's feet, but she couldn't hear anything resembling a second set of footsteps, only a rough leaden creaking that echoed strangely and made her terrified for some reason.

That reason became clear as Harry shoved open a door, and threw something onto the deck. The thing _splattered_ onto the wood, and even though Mal knew what it was-who it was- it still took her a moment to make out Jay. He was soaked to the bone and coughing up a disturbing amount of water, though Mal was relieved that it was just that. It didn't make her _happy_ , but she was relieved for that much, at least.

"Just keeping 'im cold for ye," Harry said with a brief laugh, and grin thrown in Uma's direction.

"I thought it was s'possed to be warm," Gil said, his fingers still clenched tightly around Mal's shoulder. "Right? It's 'I was just keeping him warm…'"

Uma rolled her eyes and ignored the other boy, but Harry looked his way just long enough to wink, before placing a finger to his lips in a secretive, shushing gesture that made Mal that much more furious.

"So, Mal," Uma drawled, strolling across the deck and nudging Jay hard in the side. "I guess the real question isn't so much what _I_ want for Jay, but what _you_ will give for him."

"You say that like he means something to me," Mal scoffed, but her voice was too tight, and her face too pale for it to be believed.

"Aw," Harry crooned, cocking his head and smirking at her. "She's tryin' to be unaffected. It's so cute!"

Mal growled a curse between her teeth and vowed that as soon as they were out of this situation, she would find a way to get revenge on both of them for this. But first, she had to get them out of this.

"You seem to be forgetting, Mal," Uma said, still with that vicious smirk on her face. "It was _Jay_ who crossed the border into our territory, and _Jay_ who suffered the consequences."

On the deck, Jay opened his eyes, and Mal shifted her feet pointedly. Instantly, his eyes shot up to hers, and something equal parts fierce and vulnerable flickered through his face. Mal tried not to think about her meeting with Jafar; the man's half-guilty confession about his son's whereabouts for the past two weeks. It didn't matter right now, and yet it came up in her mind anyway, at that look in Jay's eyes. She changed her priorities in that moment; first, she would get them both out of the pirates' territory. And then she was going to hunt down the trafficker that had had him and kill him. Painfully.

"But really," Uma continued, jerking Mal back into the present situation. "The fact that he's even _alive_ shows that I can be reasonable."

'That Harry can show restraint,' Mal interpreted. 'And only because I said to and that can easily change.'

"You're right," Mal replied, glancing pointedly away from Jay and towards the loose bit of board just under her feet. "It is reasonable, and Jay really should have thought carefully before he trespassed."

Uma's eyes flickered, clearly not expecting Mal's agreement. Gil loosened his grip on her minutely, apparently thinking she was cooperating now, and Mal briefly felt a pang of regret for the decidedly not-cooperating plan forming in her head.

"And yeah, ok, he's kind of important to me," Mal continued, shifting her weight carefully against the board and causing it to shift even more out of place. "But not so important that I'd give _you_ anything, and I definitely wouldn't give you that satisfaction, Shrimpy."

Uma's features twisted into a furious mask, though her eyes were still uncertain, and Mal reveled in her impending victory.

"So you'd leave him," the other girl said slowly. "Just like that."

Mal locked eyes with Jay and shifted the board beneath her one more time. It wobbled with a soft creak, and Jay's lips twitched, his head jerking imperceptibly.

"Just. Like. That," Mal repeated, before slamming her foot down hard on the board, kicking Gil's leg forward and into the gap it provided.

In response, Jay snapped his own leg out and up sharply, his foot connecting with Uma's knee and sending her to the deck with a pained scream. The sound sent something almost panicked through Harry, as the boy's eyes went wide and helpless for a moment as he shot desperately for her, and Jay took that as his chance and scrambled to his feet, limping a moment before running for Mal. She took a second to ensure that Gil was still secure, and regretted it instantly as she turned in time to watch him break the board and get back to his feet.

But Gil didn't move, at least, not towards them. Instead, he shifted his body towards Harry and Uma, and Mal frowned, not understanding.

"Go," Gil said quickly, but quietly. "They'll kill you if they catch you."

And Mal thought for a moment that he meant Harry or Uma, but Harry was just getting Uma to her feet, and judging by the way she leaned into him, she wouldn't be running after them anytime soon. Gil crossed to her instantly, lending his strength and further support, and Uma's eyes flashed as they locked on Mal, her teeth baring in a snarl. 'Harry,' Mal saw her lips say, and 'Go!' Gil's said. But she still didn't understand. Not until Harry straightened on the deck, his posture sharp and ruthless despite being barely older than Jay, his eyes snapping and intense as he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.

"Aaall in!"

The ship groaned, and suddenly, up on the mast, another figure appeared and repeated the cry. "All in!"

"Ah, shit," Jay hissed, shaking his head before all but throwing himself off the edge of the ship.

"Oh _fuck_ ," Mal agreed, as a much larger swarm of pirates and wharf rats began to filter in from all sides of the docks, sprinting across the deck of the ship; swinging down from the bridges and arching platforms; leaping up from crusted hulls.

She didn't stop to think then, just turned and ran after Jay, cursing herself for not going when she'd first had a chance. The whoops and screams of the pirates were uncomfortably close, and she'd lost sight of Jay the second she'd sprinted off the boat. Flashes of color streaked by in her peripheral vision, but she didn't stop, launching herself through the tunnel at the far side of the docks and back into the familiar cobbled alleys of the Isle. The footsteps behind her faltered, but didn't completely retreat, but it didn't matter. They were on 'mainland' turf now, and Mal knew the mainland like the back of her hand.

It didn't take long to lose the wharf rats, in the sharp, narrow alleys, but the bright blurs of color told her that the pirates were still in hot pursuit. Mal threw herself down a side street, bypassing the markets entirely and racing along the edges of the village. It was a roundabout way that she rarely used, but it served its purpose well enough. She managed to shake off the last of the pirates, but as she paused to catch her breath, it occurred to Mal that she didn't actually know where she was. Well, rather, she knew which part of town she was in, but she'd never _been_ there because….

"Come here often?"

Mal spun sharply, her hand flying to her waist to grab her knife. She cursed her fumbling fingers, but managed to grasp her knife just in time to dodge another's. The foreign blade barely clipped her shoulder, and Mal cursed lowly, scanning the empty streets for a sign of her attacker.

"Apparently not," the voice said, and another blade came flying from nowhere. Mal ducked, then shifted her weight as something solid registered to her left. She brought her arm around, throwing aside another attack and swinging her knife up blindly towards the other person.

The other person, who caught her arm, twisting her wrist back painfully and snatching her knife from her unresisting fingers. Mal kicked out viciously, but her leg was blocked by another, and before she could register her precarious position, her opponent shifted their weight, and Mal was flung backwards into the street.

"This isn't your turf, little dragon," the voice called, and Mal scrambled to her feet, her face flushed hotly and her ears ringing. It couldn't have been someone that much older than she was, but Mal couldn't even tell if the voice was male or female, or which direction it came from.

"You know who I am, but you won't show yourself," Mal snapped to the shadow, pressing her back to the nearest alley wall and inching her way carefully through to next corridor. "How is that anything but cowardice?"

"How is fair, you mean?" the voice challenged, following her retreat. "It isn't."

Mal prided herself on managing to contain her shout of surprise as her shadow suddenly made itself known with those last two words; a small, lithe figure dropping down from above her and landing in a low crouch by her feet. It was a girl, Mal finally realized, after her heart stopped trying to claw its way out of her chest. But that was about all Mal could tell, and even that was more a guess as the figure was clad toe to head in black, leather pieces strategically placed to look like armor. Mal realized the reason for this being the small, thin _something_ attached to the girl's back and secured with fraying bits of black fabric.

"Daisha," the girl said, and her voice didn't echo impossibly like it had previously.

"Mal," Mal said cautiously, relaxing her guard slightly. It was something she regretted instantly as the other girl sprang to her feet, pulling a significantly longer blade from that thin container on her back and pressing the point to the hollow of Mal's throat, the bulk of her weight behind it so that all it would take was a small shift to sever Mal from life.

"Don't leave yourself so exposed, Mal," the girl, Daisha, said. "It'll get you killed on this side of the Isle."

Mal didn't trust herself to speak, not that she really could have given the position of the sword. The other girl's face was invisible behind a thick, fabric mask, but her eyes seemed to laugh as they took in Mal; in the vulnerable position she was in. Then she was gone, leaving nothing behind to indicate that she had ever been there.

It was nearly dark by time Mal finally made it back to the other side of the Isle and to the hideout on the border. She tugged at the metal gate, jerking it up just enough for her to wriggle underneath, silently vowing (not for the first time) to find a better way to get in to the hideout. Jay was passed out on the one half rotted couch, but when Mal threw her jacket at him he lurched upright, swearing hoarsely.

"Relax, doofus," Mal grumbled, kicking aside a stray can of paint. "It's just me."

"Way to keep me waiting," Jay snapped, sinking back down onto the cushions with a glare.

"Oh like how you kept me waiting for two weeks?" Mal fired back without thinking, and she watched that hollow vulnerability creep back into Jay's eyes.

"I was busy," he muttered, though Mal didn't miss the way his arms came up to wrap around his body, the twitch of a scream across his face.

"Yeah," Mal said lamely. "I know."

The twitch was stronger this time, as Jay's eyes widened, his body stiffening defensively. "Know. What."

Mal's hands clenched into unseen fists as she turned her body pointedly away from him, her promise to kill whoever had hurt him ringing through her head as she eyed the far wall of the hideout.

"That you were busy, duh," she snapped, rolling her eyes at him over her shoulder. "Too busy to let me know you were alive, apparently."

"Wasn't like that," Jay mumbled, and Mal grimaced at the wall, trying to imagine a new color onto it and ignore all of her conflicting _feelings_.

"You're back now, so…I guess it's fine," Mal said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Getting caught by the pirates sure as hell wasn't though."

"And here I was hoping you wouldn't be pissed about that," Jay replied, and Mal thought she saw him shiver slightly.

"Oh, definitely pissed," she countered, brushing a light strand of hair out of her eyes. "But more at them than you. What did Harry…why exactly _were_ you soaking wet?"

"Fucking lunatic," Jay spat, his face twisting, his eyes gleaming darkly. "Tied me to the anchor and almost drowned me."

"Creative," Mal hummed, frowning hard at the small 'Long Live Evil' outline on the wall. "We need more people."

"Yeah, ok," Jay said with a snort, and Mal turned her glare on him.

"That stupid little shrimp controls _one_ piece of the Island, but because it's the Docks, the only thing she really needs to be in any position of power is _people_. Which she has," Mal fumed, and Jay frowned, seeming to realize her point.

"I don't know how she got the wharf rats, though," he said, his brow furrowing. "I mean, they hate the pirates as much as we do."

"It doesn't matter," Mal insisted, kicking an empty can furiously. "We need. More people. If we're going to have any hope of coming back from this..."

"I know people," Jay said carefully. "I mean…a person."

"Who is it?" Mal demanded, and Jay grimaced, his head tilting slightly away from her.

"I um…I don't know if you…if your mom-"

"My mother has nothing to do with this," Mal snaps instantly, cutting him off. "My group is my group, and if you know someone Jayden you better tell me _now_ , or I swear to Hades…."

"Ok, ok geez!" Jay threw his hands up in defeat. "She lives on the other end of the village. You kind of sort of know her already."

Mal straightened, her mind instantly snapping to the stranger she'd just met on the far side of the Isle. The girl hadn't even robbed her, Mal realized distantly. Just…teased her, really. Even the sword to the throat hadn't seemed truly hostile. Like…it was just her way of _playing_.

"Who is it, Jay?"

"Her name's Evie," Jay finally said. "The Evil Queen's daughter."

And whatever Mal had been expecting Jay to say, it certainly hadn't been _that._

* * *

 **Evie**

Dinner had been a rather uneventful affair, as far as the actual getting food and finding a table and sitting to eat went. It was strange, foreign, sitting there with only Jay and Carlos on either side of her. Like a vital part of her was missing, leaving a sore, hollow spot in her chest. That hollow feeling had been following Evie all afternoon; since the King had made his decree, growing and worming its way deeper and deeper until she thought she might scream with the weight of it.

She wasn't afraid to go back to the Isle, not as long as she had her crew. Mal's crew, she reminded herself as she carefully sorted all the apple pieces out of the casserole on her plate. She was part of _Mal's_ crew, but Mal wasn't here, and Evie didn't quite know what she was without the other girl there to direct her. It was a strange irony: despite Evie being older (and only by a couple months) it was Mal who was undeniably in charge. And Evie wasn't bitter about that, like Jay had been; like Jay still was, on occasion. It seemed only right in her mind, since she had been the unwitting cause to her own banishment- to Maleficent's anger and disappointment- that Mal should be the one in control now. To have some say.

It wasn't a fear of anything or anyone on the Isle, exactly. Even her own mother had never tortured her as Cruella had with Carlos. And no one else would think of hurting her or looking at her funny, not with the reputation she had built up. That they _all_ had built up. Mal had claimed her as one of her own and that was that. No one messed with Maleficent, or what was hers, and that extended to Mal by default.

No, there wasn't anything the Isle could throw at her that she hadn't already endured and clawed through or tamed in some way. The thing that Evie feared most was herself. Being trapped on the Isle, back to her seclusion on the other side with only her mother…Evie knew what came of that. And she was terrified of it. Of what _she_ became.

It had been with these thoughts, and that hollow ache growing steadily inside, that Evie had sat down to dinner. And so it really hadn't been that surprising when she finally sank into it.

"…does she think she is, really?"

"Probably better off on the Isle anyway…"

"Honestly, I don't know what Ben was thinking. _Her?_ One of _us_?"

"…all just sitting there. Bunch of…."

"Look at her picking at her food! What, is it not good enough for you _princess_?"

The whispers take a moment to register, but it's that last hiss that really does it for her. Something inside Evie collapses, her back stiffening as her mind slowly begins to piece the insults together, falling apart with each piece.

"Just ignore them, Evie," Jay says, his back to her as she shoots a glare in the direction of the vicious whispers. "They're more freakish than we are anyway. I mean, did you see the one? Her shoes don't even come close to matching her dress!"

"E-vie?"

Carlos' voice, this time, but he's too distant. Too late. Evie fumbles up from her chair, a husk of a shell of a person, hollow…hollow….hollow.

The dining hall dims away. Her feet are moving but she's not really attached to them.

"…Evie…"

Jay. But he's not following her. Just…talking….

The dining hall is behind her now. The dorms up ahead. 13. A lucky number. Or not. Depends on your view.

caution

The door closes behind her and she crosses with shaking certainty to her closet and her small suitcase inside. It's not the suitcase that Evie needs though. Not what her trembling fingers seek out. It's the small, wrinkled zipper sealed bag in the side pocket that she draws out, and stows away with in the clean, white and pink tiled bathroom.

Evie sits on the toilet and shakes as the heaviness inside latches deeper, despite the clarity in her brain. She can't do this. She shouldn't be doing this. It was _weak_. Cowardly. Stupid. _Pathetic_. Guilt and shame mix with the darkness of that hollow ache, the knowledge that resorting to _this_ was just affirming all the things wrong with her; all the things she would never live up to. That she was better than this. That this was all she would ever amount to. That she was disappointing her friends, but that it didn't really matter because they wouldn't know. Didn't know and wasn't she just a _mess._

She's not better than this.

Her hands move by instinct and rote memory, sliding open the zipper and carefully arranging the contents on the porcelain sink. A small part of Evie feels a bit of a thrill at the luxury, at the smoothness of it beneath her fingers. But it's a very small feeling, and it doesn't last long with the _hollow_ swallowing everything but the humiliation and the pain and the more to come.

When Evie pauses to finally look, she's disappointed and humiliated further by what she sees. Two small blades; pried out of a plastic throw-away razor using children's school scissors. A small tub of cream consisting of coca butter and vitamin E- her own concoction, originally meant to help keep her face smooth and soft. It turned out to have the added benefit of fading scars. Three bandages; only two of which were of any decent size for her use. A couple inches of gauze padding and less than an inch of the tape needed to keep it secure. But really, that was fine. She'd only be needing the bandages anyway.

One of the razors is already in her hand, and the guilt and shame spike so sharply she's almost sick. For a brief, horrifying moment, she forgets why she was doing this, why she had ever started in the first place, why she couldn't. just. stop.

 _'Princess.'_

 _"Lookin' good there, princess."_

 _"Hello, gorgeous."_

 _"Aren't you just adorable?"_

 _"Hey princess, how about a kiss for your prince charming?"_

 _"That's a good girl…."_

triggers

A scream threatens its way up her throat suddenly, but she clamps down on it hard, stifling the sound into a whimper, and then, letting the hollow feeling swallow that too. She presses the razor firmly to the skin on the inside of her right arm, the cold metal instantly scattering her emotions and snapping her back to the current moment. She debates silently a moment, wondering if this was too vulnerable a spot; too exposed. There's already a set of fading scars here, and although they weren't noticeable now, the fresh set she would leave behind certainly would be.

It's not worth it, that small part of Evie insists suddenly. It's not worth it, it's not it's _not!_ But she _needs_ this, needs the physical pain to counter the hollow one. She can't put a bandage on the ache in her chest, but she can put a bandage on the cuts, and that was good enough for her in the moment. She presses the razor down again and lets it drag across her skin. It takes a second for anything to register but the coolness of the metal, but then the blood wells up in a tiny bead and the familiar sting fills some of that hollow ache inside and finally, _finally_ she feels real again.

And as she continues the pattern and the ache falls away to something more physical, the fear of going back to the Isle didn't seem quite as valid anymore. After all, she would have her group. And she would have this. She wouldn't need much more than that.

* * *

 ** _Carlos_**

It's just him and the man today. The lady… 'Ella,' the man called her, usually with a sighing sound in his chest-'Mommy,' she insisted to Carlos, usually with an angry, frowning sound in her voice- she was out, Carlos didn't know where but he wasn't sad. Not with the man there. Everything was ok when he was there. His 'mommy' wasn't so loud or angry, didn't hit Carlos as much for not talking right. She even smiled, which Carlos didn't really know whether to think that good or not.

"Just you and me, huh buddy?" the man smiled, but Carlos noticed that it didn't seem like his usual smiles.

"M-m-m-m…." Carlos bit his lip and ducked his head, wishing he could just _talk_ like a person and not a _freak_.

"It's ok, Carlos," the man said, sitting beside him. "Slow down and feel the words, ok? Take your time."

Carlos nodded carefully, picking at the stuffing poking through the chair and trying to remember all the sounds.

"Mmo…mom?" He finally managed, lifting his eyes cautiously to see the man's reaction. To see if he was angry at his mess up and would hurt him for it like the lady did. But the man didn't seem angry, at least, that Carlos could tell.

"Mom?" the man repeated, his brow scrunching a little. "Where is she, do you mean?"

Carlos nodded, his fingers burrowing in the soft stuffing. It was weird with her not there. The house felt different…alive, but like it was watching him in her place, just waiting for him to mess up and swallow him whole.

"She went into town for a little bit," the man answered, but he was frowning, and lifting his head to peek through the window curtains above them. "It's ok though…she'll be back."

Carlos didn't think he wanted her back, but he didn't say that out loud. Instead he watched the man and tried to figure out what the look in his eyes meant. He'd never seen it on someone else before so it took him a moment. Then he realized what it was and he tapped the man's knee.

"Sscared?" He whispered, lifting his brows slightly.

"There's nothing to be scared of, Carlos," the man said, smiling quickly, but even though he smiled it still felt strange.

"Nu-no," Carlos said, shaking his head and tapping the man again. "Yyyou? Are yyou sscared?"

"Me?" the man's smile went funny, turning off and on again so fast Carlos would have missed it if he hadn't been watching so closely. "Of course not. Like I said, there's nothing…."

Something smashed just outside the window, and Carlos flinched, while the man shot to his feet, his eyes wide.

"Carlos," he said, and his voice was fast and soft. _Scared_. "Under the chair. Quick! Get under the chair."

Carlos flung himself to the floor and scrambled underneath the chair, pressing his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes shut tight. Above him somewhere, outside maybe, something else went **boom** and then **_bang!_** and somebody was yellingscreaming _screaming._

And then it was quiet and someone was pulling him up from under the chair. Instinct sent panic through Carlos and he kicked hard at the air, shaking his head.

"No!" he whined, squirming against the hands holding him. "Nnno, 'm'ssory!"

"Carlos! It's alright! It's…it's me. It's ok."

Carlos blinked and realized nothing hurt. No one was screaming at him. The lady wasn't back. It was the man who held him, holding him close to his chest so Carlos could hear his heart beating ba- _bum,_ ba- _bum,_ ba- _bum._

"Wha-what," Carlos tried to ask, but the man just held him tighter, making a hushing sound, so Carlos wrapped his arms around as far as they could reach and burrowed himself deeper.

He didn't know how long they sat like that, but after a moment something else smashed outside, and the man jumped.

"Shit," he said, then pulled away a bit more. "Sorry…sorry, buddy. It's…it's just the neighbors…moving in. Ignore that word I said, ok?"

"Sshit," Carlos repeated solemnly, and the man made a sound that was sort of like a laugh and a cry at the same time.

"How about," he said, shifting Carlos off of his lap and back onto the chair again. "We play a game?"

Carlos smiled slowly. He liked playing games with the man. He always learned new things, like now he could count to almost twenty and he could show with his fingers how old he was- two, almost three- and knew his favorite color (it was the color the sky made just before turning grey really early in the morning, like blood but hotter), and he knew….

"You know your name, right?"

Carlos nodded eagerly, wiggling excitedly. "Yyes!"

"What's your name?" the man said, and his smile was normal now. It was in his eyes where it was supposed to be.

"Ccarlos!" Carlos said proudly, his smile growing as he watched the man laugh.

"That's right, buddy," he said. "Do you know how to spell your name?"

Carlos nodded, but this time it was slower as he thought and remembered each letter and how they sounded. "See…Ayy…Ar…Ell…O-oh…Ess," he recited carefully, before smiling again as he finished.

"That's great, Carlos," the man said, clapping softly before holding his hand up in a strange shape; like a sideways smile. "Can you do this with your hand?"

Carlos frowned and copied the gesture carefully; cupping his fingers into what he realized looked just like a 'c.' His shape wasn't as big, but that was just because his hands were smaller. [C]

"Good," the man said, changing his hand shape. "Now this." It was a fist shape, with his palm facing Carlos and his thumb against the rest of his fingers. [A]

"Great," the man said, before crossing his middle finger over his pointer finger, his palm facing Carlos still. [R]

Carlos copied that too, though it took him a couple tries because his fingers kept uncrossing.

And then, following the man's lead, he folded his fingers over until only his pointer and thumb fingers were extended in an l shape; his palm facing the man. [L]

And then, he cupped his fingers again, all the way around so his thumb touched the tips of his other fingers. [O]

And finally, another fist shape, but this time his thumb was in front of the rest of his fingers, his palm facing the man. [S]

"Carlos," the man said when he finished the last shape, a sharp twinkle in his eyes. "Do you know what you just did?"

Carlos shook his head, his smile fading slowly. Had he done it wrong? Was he in trouble? He tensed slightly in anticipation- this was usually the part where the lady would start yelling or hurting.

"You just spelled your name," the man was saying, and Carlos lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"Rrreally?" he mumbled, unsure.

"Yeah you did!" the man cheered quietly, laughing a bit. "It's called sign language, and people who can't talk use it to communicate."

Carlos drew himself upright instantly, something warm and big flickering inside his chest. "I can ta-ta-talk wwwith….?" He paused, trying to remember the shapes his hands had just made.

"You can," the man said softly, leaning closer. "And you will, I promise. But for now, I'll show you the alphabet…make a fist, like this...with your thumb, just there….that, Carlos…that is the letter 'A.'

* * *

 **Carlos**

Carlos sat at the table beside Jay, and tried to ignore the whispers around him, and the whispers in his head. He eyes the plate before him, and bites his lip at the thought of putting any of it into his mouth. There's soup with a name he can't pronounce, but which Jay had unenthusiastically reported tasted like sour cream but without all the sour curds that made it good. Then more fruit…so much fruit, none of them really knew what to do with it. And a pasta dish of some kind that was called 'casserole,' which Evie had placed onto her plate and then paled at when she realized it had apples in it. Jay had some kind of brown, bread shaped bit of meat and some of the soup, but that was it. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was more than made up for.

"Bunch of freaks," Carlos hears someone mutter from the next table over. "Should never have been allowed off the Isle in the first place."

Jay grimaces, but says nothing, shoving a bit more meat into his mouth. Evie goes a shade paler, and Carlos nudges her knee with his own. She jumps, and her eyes are bright when she looks at him, so wide he can see all her emotions in them.

He signs discreetly; pointing to her before touching his thumb to his fingers in an 'O' shape; and then extending his index and middle fingers in a sort of 'flag' with his thumb placed just between the two of them. [You O.K.?]

She nods quickly, a flicker of a smile and a brief touch of her thumb to her chest, her fingers open in a 'five' shape. [Fine.]

Carlos scowls at her, his eyes narrowing as he signed; placing the back of his hand to his left cheek in a plat palm, his fingers towards his chin; and then sliding it down, under his chin and then back up to his opposite cheek. [Lie.]

Evie bares her teeth at him, flipping him off and effectively stopping his concerned questions. The hall was too loud for conversation, not that he would have tried. But everyone else didn't seem to get that as they continued to yell, and yell and yell and….

Carlos drew a breath and shoved his plate away to the center of the table. Jay snatches the roll off his plate and slides it into the side pocket of his bag, and Evie continues to pick at her casserole.

"It's gonna be o-ok, right?"

Jay blinks at him, and Evie hisses a bitter laugh between her teeth. "Sure, Carlos," she says lowly, her voice blank. "It's gonna be just fine. We'll all go back to the Isle, to our _parents_ , and Auradon will forget that we ever existed, which is _fine_ , because they'll make sure of it."

Jay flinches, and Carlos hunches his shoulders, his fingers twisting his dog tail so hard it snaps off the chain.

"E, what the _hell_?" Jay snaps sharply, while Carlos scrambles desperately for the red fur decoration, snatching it up from the floor and stifling a whimper as he examines it and discovers that the small metal loop that had held it to the chain was bent, and couldn't be reattached.

"I didn't mean…," she falters, then shrinks into her seat as well. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Like fucking what?" Jay growls, but Carlos knows her words had gotten to him, too. "Nothing like that is gonna happen, Evie. We're still together, and we'll still _be_ together. You said it yourself, no way in _Hell_ I'm letting you take it back now."

"I know," Evie says, her shaking voice making it almost a whimper. "I know, I just...I don't..."

"Evie, breathe," Jay commands sternly, and Evie gasps, a shudder going through her body.

"I'm ok," she murmurs, but she doesn't lift her eyes from her plate, and everyone else is still whispering and Carlos knows that she's just trying to convince herself, that it's only a matter of time before

"...not good enough for you, Princess?"

Some Auradon girl hisses at Evie, and Carlos watches the switch flip behind her eyes, something shattering and sinking all at once.

"Just ignore them, Evie," Jay insists firmly, but he's not looking at her. Carlos is though, and he knows it's too late for that, knows the words are already deep inside her.

"E-Evie?" He whispers, but she's shoving herself up from the table, her eyes not seeing anything...like Evie had disappeared and left her body entirely.

"Evie, don't," Jay says, and though his voice is low, it carries enough that a couple of the kids turn and stare. "Just sit down and we'll... _Evie."_

Carlos bites the inside of his cheek hard, his finger wringing around his broken dog tail as Evie stumbles her way out of the dining hall, the doors clanging hollowly behind her. Jay lets out a sharp hiss of air between his teeth, his hands pressing against his eyes weakly.

"J-ay?" Carlos whispers, his eyes still locked on the door, suddenly afraid and not entirely sure why. "Jay?"

"Leave it, Carlos," the other boy mutters, his shoulders tense and bowed.

Carlos bristles ever so slightly at the command, his stomach clenching slightly. 'Leave it!' was his mother's...was Cruella's favorite command to use for him. 'Leave it,' all slow and condescending, when she didn't want him touching anything or wanted to direct him somewhere else. 'Leave it, Carlos, that's a good boy.' 'Not that, no! Naughty puppy, over _here_.'

"Nnnot your dog," Carlos bites out, and Jay lifts his head and blinks at him dully.

"What?"

"I-I-I'm nnot your dog," he repeats hoarsely, but his confidence is wavering too much, his thoughts and all the voices too strong. "I wo-won't just 'leave it.'"

"Fucking… _hell_ , just…fuck," Jay shoves his seat back abruptly from the table and Carlos copies him sloppily, his own chair skidding harshly and effectively drawing everyone's eyes.

Carlos can see Ben in the center table with the rest of the Auradon crew, the other boy's eyes sad and penetrating, even from this distance. And Chad…something tight and hot coiled in Carlos' stomach as he realized that the blond-haired boy was also staring at them, his jaw set and making his expression impossible to read.

"Jay…" Carlos hisses desperately, but the older boy shakes his head sharply and cuts him off.

"I'm going to need you to shut up, 'Los," he mumbles, and Carlos catches the dark look in his eye, the way he'd dropped his head so his hair could conceal his face.

"Y-you can't just… _Jay_ ," Carlos whimpers, chasing after the other boy as he starts a purposeful march for the doors. "Jay, you ha-ha-have to be…you're…Ma-mal's not here, so yyou have to be."

"No," Jay says tightly, his voice shaking with barely suppressed emotion. "Right now, I have to hit something."

"Jay-"

"Carlos," the other boy's voice was suddenly deadly still, his entire body coiled and vicious. "Leave. It."

Carlos reels back from the blow, his blood pounding hard in his ears. Jay's form wavers before his eyes, then vanishes when he blinks, the dining hall doors slamming behind his darkened silhouette.

 _Leave. It._ Leave. It. _Leave. It LEAVEITLEAVEITLEAVEIT!_

He hadn't realized he'd been drowning until he tried to move, and it took all of two seconds for the water to close in over his head. Carlos scrambles desperately, his eyes registering only vague shapes, noise pounding in his head and drowningdrowning _drowning_ …. It took all of two seconds for the water to close over his head and only four seconds after that for him to sink.

He stumbles and nearly falls, but something solid breaks against him, giving way and jolting him upright.

"Woah, where you goin' freak?"

Carlos' stomach turns itself inside out and he pitches violently away…and into another solid something.

"Aw come on _freak_ , you can't leave so soon!"

When Carlos runs into the next person, they hit back. He feels the blow low in his gut and he groans, then clamps down hard on his tongue. He regrets it instantly at the sharp pang of pain the action brings, along with a sour, copper taste when the next blow comes. He forces himself to keep his eyes open, and he recognizes the three boys surrounding him now…namely, the shaggy dark hair that flickers across his vision before disappearing with another sharp blow.

"I mean, we'll all just be _so_ sad to see you go," one of the boys hisses, hands squeezing with brutal intent around his wrist, snapping it back until Carlos' breath cuts off with sudden panic.

"But really, it was only a matter of time." The shaggy hair feels like it's constricting around his throat, a different set of hands torturously bending each of his fingers back until they crack, hanging on just a second longer...just a bit more and something would snap…

"Guys...hey, back off."

The swarm of hands holding him upright falter, and it takes two seconds for the water to close over his head, four seconds after that for him to sink…and five seconds for him to be pulled back up.

"Back off, Kory. _Now_."

Carlos isn't sure what it is that goes through him at the voice, but the other boys separate in its wake and give enough space for the newcomer to get through.

"Just sending the freak off is all," Kory snickers while elbowing Carlos hard in the side. "Auradon's just not gonna be the same without him, right Chad?"

"That's for sure," Chad replies, and Carlos can hear the snarl in his voice and cringes back as the other boy reaches for him suddenly. "But de Vil is _mine_ , Kory, so back off."

Kory scoffs sharply, and Carlos tries to creep away, but it only serves to put him closer to Chad.

"There's plenty of the freak to go around," one of the other goons mutters, and Carlos is all set to start biting people again at _that_ particular set of words when Chad grasps his shoulder and jerks him sharply towards him.

"Yeah, but seeing as we're trying to set an example here, I figured why not spend some good, 'quality' time with de Vil, right?" Chad drawls lazily, his fingers firm on Carlos' shoulders. "I mean, seeing as it's probably the only attention he's ever gotten in his miserable, lonely, _pathetic_ excuse for a life."

Carlos growls as the other boys all laugh, and tries to jerk himself out of Chad's grip, but the older boy is relentless, and _pinches_ hard with his fingers and forcing Carlos to be still again.

"You got that right," Kory jeers lowly, then glowers at Carlos. "Hey, you should be thanking Charming, _freak_ , Maybe he'll knock some goodness into you and you can stay."

"Wouldn't that just be _great_?" Emil hisses, grinning darkly. "Getting to stay here with us instead of going back to whatever little hole you crawled out of."

"Alright, lay off," Chad grumbles, his grip so tight Carlos is certain something might break. "Keep going like that and I'll have nothing left."

The other boys scoff and spit curses at him, but their posture is less hostile, and Chad angles Carlos sharply away and towards the doors.

"Let's go de Vil," he snaps with faux-cheer, and then suddenly, lower, right in his ear: "Head down and keep walking. Say one word and I swear I'll finish what Kory started and break your wrist. Move."

And so Carlos moves, keeping his eyes glued firmly to the floor, his right hand gripping his dog tail while his left begins to frantically sign... 'A' 'B' 'C' 'D'...

Chad marches him out of the dining hall, but doesn't stop, just keeps shoving him forward, until they're almost back into the main part of the school. Just when Carlos begins to debate running for it, Chad tugs open a classroom door and shoves him inside, slamming and locking the door behind them both. Carlos instantly sprints for the window, ignoring Chad's shout behind him, and he'd snapped the latch and had the window thrown open in seconds. He doesn't even hesitate, just launches himself through and rolls, hitting the ground harder than he'd intended but he was _away_ and _free_ and that was all that mattered.

"Carlos!"

He trips when he looks back at the sound of his name, and he catches himself but he'd misjudged just how supportive his arms would be after having been bent back as severely as they had. His wrist twinges painfully as he lands and buckles, and he curses jerkily, shoving himself up to his knees and bracing to push up and off again...

And then Chad was there, grabbing him by the back of the collar and yanking him up to his feet.

"Damn, you can run can't you?"

"G-g-get off," Carlos tries to sound fierce but it's all just too much and he can feel the water rushing up again. "Get off, do-don't...don't touch mme!"

Chad's hand instantly is gone from him, but he suddenly wishes he'd persisted because now there was nothing and no anchor and no air and he couldn't...he couldn't breathe and everything was going to Hades and Mal was gone...Mal was gone and Jay had left him...Jay had left him again and it was just like...just like...just like...

"Carlos, I know you can hear me...I'm hoping you can hear me..."

He stumbles away and hits something solid and it's solid solid and doesn't give way and he crumples against it weakly, gasping hard and sobbing without sound.

"Hey, it's going to be ok, but you need to calm down. Carlos? I need you to take a breath. You have to _breathe_ , Carlos."

He couldn't breathe that was the point, and he tries to convey as much but all that comes out is a choking sound.

"There is plenty of air, so don't try and give me bullshit about that. I'm breathing, aren't I?"

He hears it, the 'hee-huh' sound of an overdramatic huff of breath, and he blinks hard, trying to mimic the gesture.

"Yeah, ok, could be better but you know what I'll take it. Do it again Carlos. Just like that."

He was sitting on the ground, he realizes dizzily. He was outside on a corner section of the lawns, and he was sitting against something tall and rough and...roundish? Carlos fumbles cautiously and feels that same grating sort of roughness against his fingers, and the voice snorts weakly.

"It's a tree, dumbass. Open your eyes _all_ the way, de Vil."

He does, if only so he can glare at who he'd only just recognized as Chad, but when he looks at the other boy he's surprised at just how close he is...at the expression on his face. Despite the seeming mockery of his tone, Chad's face is startlingly pale, his eyes wide and shadowed, something deep and fearful and horrifying...something _knowing_...in his eyes.

"Ho-ho-ho-how?" He croaks, shoving himself further upright against the tree, mystified. "Ho-how did you...?"

Chad's chin lifts minutely, and the fear spikes sharply before settling itself down into something more neutral and less revealing. "Let's just say I've had my share of experiences and leave it at that, ok?"

And Carlos suddenly remembers that moment back in the dorm rooms with Ben and Chad; how the blond haired prince had gone pale when Carlos had suggested the age of seven...the memory playing behind his eyes and how rapidly it had been covered up and replaced with something different; how even now, that same moment seemed to be echoing in Chad's thoughts...the way he'd said 'experiences...'

"Nno fucking w-way," Carlos exhales, sitting up so sharply he slams his head against the tree.

"What?" Chad snaps, his body stiffening defensively, his eyes narrowing. "I don't like the way you _didn't_ say that."

It's a cheap shot, and a pitiful attempt despite the way it still makes Carlos cringe ever so slightly.

"Yyeah, I can't ta-talk," he mutters shortly. "Wh-what you did...you...you..."

"Damn it," Chad groans, rolling his eyes up and shoving himself onto his feet and away from Carlos. "Son of a..."

"Sson of a m-other," Carlos suggests pointedly, and he's rewarded when Chad flinches, his eyes darting away. "Oh...oh sshit."

"Shut up."

"Sshit!"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

"Bu-but I don't...," Carlos shakes his head, and then squints viciously at the other boy. "Is tha-that why you stopped them? Is that...and you know how...bu-bu-but your mom's Cinderell-Cinderella!"

"Yeah, my mom's Cinderella!" Chad snaps, turning sharply and smacking his palm against the tree beside them. "My mom's Cinderella and she had a Wicked Stepmother who was really...fucking...wicked..." he trails off and takes a shaky breath, and when he continues his voice is soft but just as shaky.

"My mom's Cinderella, and she still wakes up some nights in a panic because she'd forgotten to iron a shirt..."

And Carlos has nothing to say. He doesn't even know how he's supposed to feel, but he thinks that _happy_ might not really be appropriate here. Relief, maybe? And the tiniest flicker of...something...

"I didn't kn-know that," he murmurs instead, picking at a loose thread at the hem of his shirt.

"Yeah, well. Welcome to Auradon," Chad mutters in response, his lips quirking bitterly. "The place where we'll drop everything to help out the children of our sworn enemies and don't give a damn about the shit that our own people deal with."

"That's wwhy you hate me," Carlos says, his eyebrows lifting in realization. "Isn't it?"

"I...I don't hate you, de Vil," Chad hedges, and Carlos frowns.

"Bu-but you're nnot calling me 'Carlos' either..."

"I'm in between, ok?" Chad sighs, and Carlos shuffles his feet nervously, suddenly rethinking everything he'd thought he'd come to know about the other boy. "But I did mean what I said in the dining hall."

Carlos lifts his head to cautiously meet Chad's gaze, and finds that his eyes are once more hard and unreadable. "Those guys aren't allowed to mess with you anymore," Chad says briskly, straightening his blazer. "And if you somehow manage to get the words out to tell anyone about _any_ of this...I _will_ break your arm."

"G-got it," Carlos mumbles, and Chad...smiles at him? And then instantly changes it to a scowl, intentionally knocking his shoulder into Carlos' as he shoves past him to head back to the school.

"See you around, Carlos," the other boy waves dismissively without turning around. "Or not. I could care less."


	24. We are the reckless wild youth pt 3

***Sheepishly pokes head out from around corner***

 **Hey guys, I hope this chapter isn't too late for you. (Says that while fully knowing it most certainly is.)**

 **Apologies for…the last chapter. This one isn't much better in terms of angst. I'm definitely more satisfied with the way this one turned out, but yeah it's just…angst everywhere.**

 **Let's get to the reviews shall we?**

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 **StoryWriting1414: I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so much, haha, and that you're loving Carlos so much too! You will definitely be seeing those reactions shortly so don't worry. ;) I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **EvietoyourMal: I'm sorry about your wisdom teeth surgery! That doesn't sound like fun at all, but I'm glad my story was able to make you feel better. :) Haha, yeah Chad totally is that type of friend, to be honest. I'm glad you're enjoying my story and hopefully you'll enjoy this next chapter and that it will help further take your mind off of your teeth. ;)**

 **Elle: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you love my story so much and that you think I'm doing a good job at portraying everything. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **tigerladygamer: Haha, yeah just you wait. ;)**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you! It was definitely one of the sadder chapters but I'm glad you enjoyed it nonetheless.**

 **Guest 1: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you like the way I'm portraying everything and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Nyehhh : Lol, if you loved that character development just you wait for this doozy of a chapter! ;)**

 **Tiredandlazy: *cracks knuckles, clears throat***

 **So like, I couldn't help but laugh so hard because if you thought that was a doozy, then like, you have no clue what you're in for now! But like seriously, the Isle was definitely no joke and we're starting to get into that a bit more in this chapter, and future chapters to come so like, hold onto your computer screen (tablet, smartphone, whatever bit of technological device you're reading this on.)**

 **It made me really happy/stupid/sappy emotional to hear that you enjoyed the chapter, and my whole take on Evie and the various other dark recesses of my mind, haha. Like, what gives?**

 **As for the mystery daddo, well, like…it wouldn't be mystery if I just _told you_ now would it? Don't worry, though because I do plan on telling eventually. This whole plot thing is uh, growing…a bit longer than I'd thought…um.**

 **And Chad…I believe you wanted him to just 'show his soft insides' or something like that? Well, like…wish received and granted, lol. ;)**

 **Anyway I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter even though I hate(d) it. And yes, yes that was a shameless Brittany Spears reference. And also excuse me what?! They have eggnog in stores already asfdgssh! Ahem, sorry. I suddenly have to run out and get as much as will fit in my fridge because ohmygoshyesss! My obsession with eggnog literally knows no bounds (my mom has to dole out the cartons in rations over the holiday season or it's all I'll drink.)**

 **I hope you'll like, continue to read and enjoy! (And with that, I believe I have out-Valley Girl'd you. ;))**

 **Shots and Giggles: Good to hear from you again! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed all my backstory and character building, as well as the chapter itself. I definitely am excited for all the developments I've got planned with the pirate crew, too, haha.**

 **I'm also not entirely sure about everyone's ages according to any canon, despite the fact that I currently own the book, lol. But yeah I'm just playing fast and loose with the canon anyway since I agree, it didn't really make sense to have them not know each other for a longer time given how close they all are in the movie.**

 **And yeah I definitely didn't want to shy away from all the implications that these situations would bring out… as you'll see some more of here. There's gonna be a lot of angst and tempers flaring and just general chaos as everyone tries to get everything figured out. And I emphasized a bit too, just how affected everyone is by all these situations and the negativity so that was fun to play around with. And I used your prompt to do it so I hope you'll enjoy that, and that I did it justice. :)**

 **Thank you again for all your kind words and support, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Jewelz1642: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, even if it did almost trigger you. I'm so sorry about that, it wasn't my intention at all!**

 **But I did understand what you meant, and I'm glad you liked my interpretation of Gil and that you're enjoying the story so much.**

 **Hopefully you'll continue to enjoy! :)**

 **Guest 2: I am, lol. It's such a weird feeling; I never would have thought a story of mine would get this far. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **Descendants5HLM: Hey! Congrats on the new account! It's such an exciting feeling, isn't it? :)**

 **Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and think I'm doing a good job portraying everything. And I'm glad you noticed Chad's shifting to actually calling Carlos by his name, hahah. I don't know how many others picked up on that significance, but I'm sure they will by the end of this chapter. ;)**

 **As for Daisha, yes we'll be hearing a little bit more about her later. And the italic part of Evie's pov will definitely be further explained and clarified on in future chapters but yes, it probably is along the lines of what you're thinking, unfortunately. But don't worry, it won't be for a little bit yet, and I don't plan on going into too much detail. But suffice to say there was/is some trauma involved that led to the developments that are currently going on.**

 **Thank you again for the review and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Rosenn Rae: Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying it and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter just as much. :)**

 **guest 3: Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story and my writing and that you will continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Kry Chi: Something is definitely going to happen, haha. But I'm glad you liked my development of Chad and that you're enjoying the sign language. I'm not fluent, but I am currently learning ASL so it's a fun experience for me too. :) I hope you'll continue to enjoy!**

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 **Author's Notes:**

 **Ok guys, I'll try to keep this short so you can get to the chapter. It is…also a bit shorter, sorry, but has some very important character and plot developments that I think you might like.**

 **But it also has some other stuff as well so here's the ***WARNINGS PART THAT YOU SHOULD NOT SKIP!*****

 *****This chapter contains the usual; language, some mild violence and brief mentions of bullying, but it also deals with and describes heavy topics such as Self injury and Self harm (mentioned/referenced only); mental health issues such as panic/anxiety attacks; brief mentions of anger issues and brief mentions/implications of misogynist behavior; as well as dealing with child molestation and assault.*****

 **Just as before, I've done my best to handle these things with respect and without being too graphic, but I've also marked the sections that may be triggering so please, feel free to skip! It is not my desire to offend or hurt anyone but again, I didn't want to shy away from it or pretend like it doesn't happen, especially considering how similar things have happened to/affected good friends of mine.**

* * *

 **Note 2:**

 **That being said, here is the next chapter for you. It's not all horrible and angsty, but it is there, so just be mindful as you read, and equally mindful and respectful in your reviews.**

 **The songs that inspired this three-part set are 'Prayer of the Refugee' by Rise Against, and 'Youth,' by Daughter,**

 **And this chapter features a prompt from the wonderful Shots and Giggles! They were one of the four prompts I selected from a contest I did earlier in the story, and so I hope you will enjoy it and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

* * *

 **Jay**

It doesn't take Jay long to find the Auradon gymnasium. Mostly because he'd demanded the location from a knight, and received it in the same brusque, tightly angered tone he'd asked it in. He'd nearly smashed the thing's head in for it, but decided it wasn't worth the further trouble it would most likely get him into. He curses to himself at that, Auradon's influence already- impossibly- affecting him.

The gym, or, 'a place he could go to hit things and not get hit in return,' is startlingly large and open, a circular shaped arena decorated in the obnoxious blue and gold of Auradon, with some kind of viewing area above. There was a rectangular sort of section off to one side, with giant white armor looking things lining the walls, and needle thin swords that couldn't possibly serve any purpose. Then on the opposite side there was a small section of metal racks strung with weights, and at the back…Jay feels the tightness coiling in his gut loosen minutely, a slow grin sliding onto his face.

He all but runs as he crosses the floor, cracking his knuckles and glaring in a fierce sort of glee at the absolutely _perfect_ punching bag that hangs before him. He'd only ever seen one of these on the Isle, and it was located in Gaston's pub, because duh. 'No one's slick like Gaston, no one's quick like Gaston, no one hoards all of Auradon's shit like Gaston.' The bag was one of the first things the surly man had managed to snatch off the barges, and more than once Jay had gotten into a brawl with the other man over a score. Gaston's true punching bag, it was rumored, had been his son Gil, but the one he kept in the pub had been beaten to its core, the leather cracking so badly you could only hit it about one time, once a day. Any more and you'd risk splitting it open completely. But Jay had always made his hits count, and now that he had something solid to work with, he wasn't about to hold back.

He took a stance, eyeing the bag top to bottom and marking out each blow before he made it. He swings his left arm up and snaps it across the bag as hard as he can. His opponent staggers, swaying sharply to the right.

"Haha, didn't see that coming did you, you fucker," Jay jeers, snapping another blow with his right elbow.

It doesn't take long for him to find his rhythm. And his anger. As he sucks in his breath between his teeth and ducks under imaginary blows and counters with his own, all of his frustrations over the recent events come surging back.

Carlos' face when Jay had dismissed him like a dog, _knowing_ how much it hurt him. **Whap!**

Evie, and how he hadn't been able to be there for her. **Thwack!**

Mal, her charging headfirst into _everything_ as always. Abandoning them and expecting Jay to pick up the slack in her place. **Smack!**

His hands start to hurt after a while, but he presses on, switching to striking at the bag with his feet and legs, the chain connecting it to the ceiling rattling and sending sharp pangs down Jay's spine. He grits his jaw and tries to shove aside the memories, the sudden sensation of water filling his lungs and unable to cough it back up and drowningdying _dying!_

Jay yells in defiance of the fear and launches himself at the bag again, striking until his hands go numb. The burning in his chest and lungs is a good one, he reminds himself. It means he's alive. That he was stronger. He forces himself to take a step back and catch his breath, but something doesn't feel right in the gym. He knows better than to hesitate and wait for an attack, but he keeps still anyway, and is rewarded when he hears the slight shuffle of feet on the mat behind him.

"Giving up already, Jayden? What, is the bag tougher than it looks?"

Jay's head snaps up in surprise as Lonnie steps into the space, a smirk on her face and eyes gleaming slightly.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, and she lifts a brow at him.

"I could ask you the same thing," she counters smugly. "You're technically not listed to use the gym."

Jay scowls, his fists clenching as the anger starts to buzz faintly in his ears again. "What are you gonna do?" he challenges. "Snitch on me?"

"Please," Lonnie scoffs, rolling her eyes. "I could use a sparring partner."

Jay blinks, caught off guard, and Lonie barks a quick laugh as he takes her in fully. She's not wearing any kind of uniform, instead a simple (pink) pair of loose pants, and a form fitting blue t shirt with some kind of flower patterned across it. Her feet are bare, and her usually long hair is pulled back from her face, her hands expertly wrapped.

Not one to be outdone or let any perceived weakness get the better of him, Jay curls his lip, shifting his weight and crossing his arms as he approaches her.

"You sure you want to fight me in _those_ pants, sweetheart?"

Lonnie's face hardens, her eyes suddenly dark, and Jay feels a tiny flicker of fear for a moment.

"Call me sweetheart again and it'll be more than just a friendly spar."

Jay laughs to cover his realization that she's serious, and his slight confusion. He'd complemented her, hadn't he? Why was she so insulted all of a sudden?

"I um, I'm…sorry?" Jay tries, and something in her eyes softens, despite the set of her jaw.

"Right," she murmurs, more to herself than to him. "It's all backwards to you, isn't it?"

"Who you callin' backwards, _sweetheart_?"

It'd been lighthearted; a challenge, this time. Just to be sure. Just to see.

He finds out the extremely hard way; as Lonnie tenses before suddenly uncoiling fluidly and startlingly fast. Jay barely has time to lift his arms in defense, and even that was nothing to her as she somehow winds her way _around_ his guard, dropping his arms with a blindingly fast blow, smacking the back of his head sharply with her opposite hand. He cringes, more out of surprise than anything, and swings forward without fully processing where he was aiming. It's to his disadvantage, as Lonnie effortlessly dodges out of his reach, grabbing his arm and twisting hard…he feels a strong kick to his hip, and an even stronger pressure against his knee, and before he can fully figure out just what the fuck was happening, he was on his back and coughing from the sudden pain.

"The…Fuck…" he coughs, wincing and trying to sit up, only to find a foot pressed firmly against his ribcage.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lonnie says, and her voice is low but full of humor. "Unless you want me to break something."

"How the fucking _hell_?" Jay groans, letting his head fall back against the mat.

"Did you forget the part where my mother was a warrior and my father was captain of an army?"

"Yeah," he mumbles, closing his eyes and sighing carefully. "Must have missed that part of the welcome package."

It takes all of his effort to maintain a straight face as he subtly shifts his hands closer to his sides, mentally taking note of just where her foot was resting, how much weight she must have been leaning on it to pose the threat it was, and just how much he should twist without hurting her...which, now that he's actively thinking about it, is a first for him.

"That's ok," Lonnie continues above him, unaware and still entirely too cocky for her own good, or for Jay's liking. "I know how embarrassing it must be for you, losing to such a 'sweetheart' like m-"

Jay seizes his opportunity as Lonnie shifts just a bit, and he snaps his hands up, grasping her ankles firmly and twisting it to his right, forcing her weight to shift inwards sharply and effectively losing her balance. He launches himself up as she falls, rolling over her and pinning her firmly to the ground, leaning his weight back onto her legs and keeping her in place.

"I think you forgot the part where I'm from the Isle of the Lost," Jay gloats, smirking at her and crossing his arms across his chest again. "And it takes a lot more than that to keep me down."

Lonnie stares up at him a moment, and he can't read the expression on her face. Then her mouth splits into a grin and she laughs, the tension in her body fading instantly.

"You are something, Jay from the Isle," she gasps between breaths. Jay lowers his arms and gapes at her, unable to determine just what it was he was feeling right now. He starts to laugh with her, when suddenly he feels her arms wrapping around his, sliding around his torso and gripping hard. He realizes what she's doing a second too late, and he feels her body shift up, her body twisting hard around his and effectively swapping their positions.

"You are something," she repeats lowly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "But so am I."

She's entirely amused, but Jay isn't. Not like this. The way he's lying now is horrifically familiar, her body weight resting against his hips, her hands reaching coyly for his arms. Jay feels his breath hitch in his throat, and he tries to laugh it off like she is but her hands brush his arms and suddenly Jay is in another room entirely.

caution

 _The hard floor beneath him is the same, but it's wood, splinters digging into his back with every shift of weight above him._ Don't look, _Jay reminds himself._ Just don't look it'll be done soon don't look just don't…. _Someone starts humming, and Jay feels a knot coil in his stomach, bile burning his chest and throat. Someone laughs, the sound low and hoarse, and a hand threads through his hair…down across his face and he can smell the thick musk in the air…smell it get thicker as the humming turns to a moan...the hands move to his chest now, and he chokes on a sob. The hand is quick to strike him for that, and a voice is saying something…threatening…promising…but he can't hear it. He won't hear it he doesn't want to he doesn't want this!_

A breathy chuckle meets his ears and Jay flinches, blinking up at the lightly-tanned face above him. The deep brown eyes that smile and laugh at the same time. Lonnie, his brain finally connects, though he feels another small hitch of unease in his chest at his still-prone position, at her hands which are now carefully resting against his arms. Somewhere during their spar her hair had come undone from its tie, and so he ends up looking up at her through a partial curtain of inky black.

He tries to pry his mind out of the nightmare, to remind himself through little details that he wasn't there anymore; Lonnie's hands are gentle, not constricting, not binding. Her hair smells like fruit and something kind of spicy, and her eyes gleam brightly at him, her expression soft…fond, almost? And Jay would have succeeded in his efforts if it weren't for the fact that he was still on his back under her, and it was all the connection his mind seemed to need to start slicing bits of the nightmare back into him.

triggers

 _The hands that go where no hands should ever go. Not like this, he knows. Not like this. Voices that slur and rumble, that pant and sigh and moan and the knot gets tighter…pulls_ lower _and Jay feels his expression tighten, the horror and the pain and the knot is too tight and he can't he can't he can't please don't make me please and he's screaming in spite of himself and there's more voices echoing his cries and there's salt on his tongue from more than just his tears and a husky voice is saying something in his ear…good….good….but it's not it's not it's…_

"You're zoning out on me, Jayden," Lonnie's voice cuts through the haze suddenly, and Jay could have sobbed with the relief. "Is it so hard for you to comprehend being beaten by a _girl_?"

And he's not on the Isle anymore. Not eleven years old and helpless. He's in Auradon. He's safe, and in…good company. Jay manages a brief, tight sort of chuckle, and pushes against her arms weakly.

"Yeah, as if," he says, and if his voice trembles just a bit, she doesn't notice it. "I let you win. Didn't want to…hurt you or anything."

Lonnie tosses her head back and barks a laugh, the sound light and incredulous and thoroughly relaxed. "Let me win!" She repeats, shaking her head. "I thought you were better than stupid stuff like that, _Jayden_."

Not by a long shot, Jay thinks with a twinge of bitterness. But he forces himself to smirk at her instead, to continue separating himself from the past and into the present.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbles, pushing against her a little harder and trying to remember that he wasn't in danger as he struggles to sit. "If you're done gloating, will you let me up already?"

He says it with all the snarky bravado the situation demanded, but Lonnie settles herself further against his legs and lifts a brow, and he has to bite his lip to keep from screaming for an entirely different reason. The nightmare stabs brutally behind his eyes and he grits his jaw and grimaces, tensing his body and twisting sharply to the left, shoving a hand against her shoulder and all but tossing her away.

"Alright, get…get off!"

He's on his feet before her noise of surprise reaches his ears, his chest tightening and every instinct screaming at him that he'd barely avoided death. But he's on his feet and that's all it really takes for Jay to come back to himself completely. He realizes that Lonnie is the one on her back now, looking up at him in something like shock, and Fairy Godmother's 'Goodness' lessons come back to him as he stares at her, her voice silently admonishing him about his rudeness.

"Sorry," he finally snaps awkwardly, extending a hand to her somewhat jerkily and waiting.

It's too vulnerable, his instincts scream at him. She could have a knife, and stab it through your ribs. As it is, her eyes take him in slowly, and he can't interpret the look on her face. It's like she's taking him apart piece by piece and seeing behind his actions, and he shifts his weight and frowns as his heart slows its attempts to beat its way out of his chest with difficulty.

"Look, do you want a hand or not?" he says quickly. "Because I'm totally fine with leaving you there and walking away, even if it is technically rude."

She stares at him a moment more before grasping his hand firmly and shifting her weight. Jay tenses instantly, half expecting her to leverage him back down onto the floor, but she simply hefts herself to her feet and smirks at him, adjusting her hair back into its tie.

"Well it looks like we're two to one," she says, cocking her head at him. "You continue to surprise me, Jayden, and I'm not typically one for surprises."

Jay scoffs and shakes his head, relief surging through him at the familiarity, the return to their somehow now normal interaction as the nightmare fades away completely.

"Don't get too excited," he cautions. "I'll get…wait…," he blinks, realizing what she'd said. "Two to _one_?"

He might be a lot of things, but he wasn't one to just cheat without cause, and he definitely wasn't one to lose track of things like scores.

"Yeah," Lonnie says, and the tilt of her smirk sharpens slightly as it turns to something more genuine.

"I didn't win anything yet," Jay insists, chasing after her as she turns away from him and heads for the door.

"You won my increased respect, Jayden," she replies as they step out of the gym. The hallway muffles her voice but her expression is entirely sincere. It makes him uncomfortable, for some reason, and he gives a quick jerk of his head, tossing his hair back in a brief and familiar gesture.

 _I don't need your respect_ …the retort is on his tongue, the smirk already twisting his face. He hadn't gotten anything even close to that from Jafar, so why should it matter now? And then he realizes it, as he takes in Lonnie's smile, the teasing light in her eyes and the overall genuine way she spoke with him. It mattered. The strange feeling in his chest bubbles up and makes him even more uncomfortable, but also leaves him feeling lighter, and the smile he gives her doesn't feel forced or awkward.

"Well," he finds himself saying, shrugging a shoulder slowly. "That's definitely something then isn't it?"

Her eyes flicker, but only to brighten further, and the way Lonnie beams at him makes Jay feel, just for a second, that everything in his shitty excise for a life _wasn't_ going horribly wrong. And then he remembers where he is and where he's from, and that he's going _back to that_ , and his own smile falters, his brow furrowing self-consciously.

"I'll try to make sure I'm…that it's worth it," he mutters, shifting his body intentionally so his gaze his focused on the hall behind them, half-pretending to scrutinize the crowd before he dares to make eye contact again. He regrets it instantly as he takes in her expression that she tries to hide but he's an expert at manipulating people and emotions and he _knows_ all the words that she's trying to gear herself up to say.

 _I'm sorry,_ says her fingers as they twist the end of a wrap.

 _You are worth it,_ her eyes say.

And also _Why would you think you're not?_ from the wrinkle between them.

As well as _I'll make sure you know that you are,_ from the set of her jaw.

And he doesn't want to hear it right now but he does anyway, and he has to get away right now or he'll start punching things again and despite her insistence on sparring he doubts she'd appreciate it if he hit her. He chuckles but it's weak and the wrinkle between her eyes deepens so it changes to _Why won't you think that you're worth it?_ and her mouth opens and he turns away completely because he has to.

"I'll catch you for another match before I go and make it even," he promises as he walks towards the swarming chaos. "I uh…I can't leave a score unsettled. It'll bug me too much."

And he feels the weight of her gaze on his back, the unspoken inflection of his name in his ears and he realizes as he lets the crowd take him that he'd imagined her saying it as _Jayden_ , and that she's the only person in his entire life that he'd allowed to call him that and be ok with it. And he suddenly hates Auradon that much more. Hates that he's going to miss it. That he's going to miss _her._

* * *

 **Ben**

Ben's not surprised when he finds out his father had retreated back to the family castle and called an emergency staff and council meeting. Only a few of the official Council had been on hand to gather, but letters and official summons had gone out to the remaining members declaring the situation an emergency and thus would require attendance as soon as possible. Most of the Council, Ben had been relieved to hear, had been less than pleased at the abruptness of his father's demands, and were dragging their feet about actually getting to Auradon. If he was lucky, he'd have a few days to come up with a case for the VKs. As it was, the staff meeting was his father's gateway attempt to rile the Council up against the VKs, and Ben wasn't about to just stand by and let that happen.

What surprises him, is that the Fairy Godmother seems to feel the same way- given that he's now riding shotgun in her tiny blue Prius on the way to the castle, Jane huddled awkwardly in the back seat and trying to pretend that any eye contact made through the rear mirror was accidental. The older woman had taken one look at the summons and rushed to find Ben immediately, and after a brief and panicked exchange of words, she'd shoved him into her car with Jane and that was that.

Except the Fairy Godmother talked when she was anxious, and so as the car sped (responsibly, of course. It might be an emergency but that was no cause to ignore the speed limit) towards Beast's Castle, Ben was filled in on the medical reports that the Fairy Godmother, as well as Flo, Faun and Merry had discovered from the VKs.

"Starting from day one," the woman murmurs, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. "And you had me do that brief exam, do you remember Ben?"

Of course he does, but he hadn't gotten a chance to actually say the words.

"Well as I explained to your parents and the rest of the staff then, the amount of injuries was just staggering."

Jane goes pale and when she shoots Ben a look through the mirror he sees his own panic reflected in them.

"You never mentioned specifically….," Ben barely manages, and the Fairy Godmother shakes her head quickly.

"No," she agrees bluntly. "I didn't want to try and make things worse than they were, but now well…I see there's not much of a choice in the matter."

"There is if we say something," Jane chokes from the back seat, and the Fairy Godmother manages a tight smile.

"And we will," she replies firmly. "We'll…."

"What did you tell them?" Ben interrupts pointedly, grimacing at his sharpness but he _needs_ to know. "What did you find?"

* * *

"The children are severely undernourished and underfed," the Fairy Godmother intones sternly. Her voice is muffled by the other side of the door, but Ben can hear every word if he presses his ear to the crack. Jane leans with her back to the door beside him, her arms crossed defensively and her eyes tightly shut. Ben doesn't want to stare, but he knows she's crying.

"There are also multiple injuries that both magical scans and medical scans detected, including broken bones and even concussions ranging from mild to severe…."

"Yes, we have heard this news before," Ben's dad cuts in shortly. He sounds almost bored, and Ben has to fight hard to keep from slamming the door open and confronting him. "I'm not sure how it's relevant to the current situation."

"Alright," the Fairy Godmother says, and her voice is suddenly entirely ruthless, startling both Ben and Jane, who flinches at her mother's tone. "I'll be blunt then, Your Majesty. The situation is this: we have a group of children who came from a dangerous and abusive environment- an environment that _we_ put them in, I'll remind you. Despite this, your son Ben, decided to do what no one else had dared to try, and bring these children over from the Isle."

"And what has come of this decision except trouble, and an apparent death threat?" Someone in the conference room counters, and though Ben isn't sure who it is, the man has a reedy, nasally voice that grates at him for some reason.

"I would like to argue for some of the good that has come from this decision," the Fairy Godmother continues, as though the other person hadn't spoken. "I would like to remind you that when the children arrived, they were incredibly defensive and easy to provoke to violence. They wouldn't meet anyone's eyes and they would flinch away at any perceived harm to them…these are issues I do wish to further address as well, but continuing on…you'll also recall how Carlos never spoke, and in particular seemed to be the most frightened and defensive of the four."

"The point, please, Fairy Godmother," Ben hears his dad rumble, and Ben feels a tiny growl of his own tickle at the back of his throat.

"My point is evident if you would only look, Your Majesty," she replies, and her voice is just a bit sterner, and Ben silently cheers her from the other side of the door. "It is clear just how being in Auradon has affected the children for good. They've connected with quite a few of the other students, and have let their guard down. They no longer flinch away from all contact, and Carlos especially has thrived here and has grown close with my own daughter. I consider it all the more proof of how Auradon is influencing them for the better."

"But clearly not enough, given the recent events," Ben's dad murmurs stiffly, and a few voices in the room grumble their own agreements.

"I would like to remind you just where these children came from," the Fairy Godmother intones carefully, as though she's restraining herself. "Judging by the amount of past injuries I discovered, as well as the ones they arrived with, it is all too apparent that the Isle of the Lost is nothing like Auradon, and that any sort of nurturing they might have received was mediocre at best…most likely found with each other. If we send them back to that environment, it will only erase all of the good that has been done here."

"Or it will just be returning them to their proper place," the reedy voice harrumphs, and again, more murmuring of agreement rises in its wake.

"Fairy Godmother I understand how it is within your duties to see good in everyone, and to help in any ways you can," Ben's dad says, and his voice is softer, not quite as fierce. "But I have a responsibility to uphold the safety and well-being of my kingdom and there's just no guarantee that another incident wouldn't occur, with even more devastating effects."

"There was no guarantee with Belle marrying a Beast, or with trying to unite all of the kingdoms together as one, or even constructing the Isle in the first place and yet…here we all are."

The Fairy Godmother's words bring absolute silence in the conference room, and both Jane and Ben exchange equal looks of pride and horror; and Ben wonders if she's realized -as he had- just how far the woman had gone with that statement. Ben holds his breath and counts, half expecting to hear his father's furious roaring, but only silence persists until finally….

"Seeing as we do not currently have access to the full Council, it is impossible for a decision to truly be reached." His father's voice is stiff and formal, unyielding in his resolution. "When the Council has assembled we will discuss this further, with the villain children present, and come to a decision then. I have said all that I intend to on the subject. This meeting is officially adjourned."

Chairs groan in a hollow chorus, and Ben leaps away from the door as the protests start; things like '…consequences!' and '…must be held accountable for their actions!' but it all goes unheeded and a heavy trod of footsteps is their only warning before the door is flung open. Jane squeaks out a yelp and even Ben has to steady himself at the absolutely livid expression on his father's face. His brows are drawn so tightly Ben can barely see his eyes, but then his father lifts his head and the anger reflected in them makes him feel like maybe that hadn't been a bad thing.

"We need to talk," Ben manages, though where he'd gotten the courage, he never knew.

His father shakes his head once with a frustrated sound, barely seeming to notice Jane at all. "Not now, Ben," he growls, making to push past him.

"Yes, now," Ben insists firmly, ignoring the arrival of the Fairy Godmother, and the few other staff members that trickle out into the halls. "You can't just let them go so easily."

His father pauses then, and blinks as he suddenly notices Jane standing just behind Ben, confusion knitting his brows just a bit tighter.

"Wait. How did you even know this meeting was happening? How did you get here?"

Ben falters, not having thought that through. Of course he wasn't supposed to know! The Fairy Godmother rushes up then, sliding around to stand just off to Ben's left and taking the focus away.

"I brought him," she admits, and though her voice doesn't waver, Ben can tell she's anxious about everything she'd just said, and he watches the anger trickle back into his father's expression and he can't let her take the fall for this.

"I asked her to," Ben blurts, the lie coming startlingly easily to his lips as he step forward. "I asked her to bring me because I thought I could get you to see that you were wrong about the VKs."

His father sighs heavily, removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation, and Ben exchanges a brief, anxious look with the Fairy Godmother before pressing on carefully.

"You are wrong about them," Ben repeats slowly, forcing himself to keep his tone subdued, if only to avoid causing a scene in front of the exiting staff. "I know you think that you have to protect the kingdom, but they're a part of the kingdom too, and that protection has to fall to them. The Isle isn't safe for them…for anyone, and you can't just send them back without hearing their side of things."

"As I told the board," his father growls out between his teeth. "When the full Council is assembled I will allow the villains to present their case. Until then, I don't want to hear any more about this."

"They're no more villainous than we make them out to be," Ben tries, but he's speaking to his father's back now and it's a feeble attempt at most. "And if they are, then it's only _because_ we've made them out to be that way."

"Three days, Benjamin," his father intones weakly as he makes his way up the stairs, the last of the staff members finally making their way out the door. "Three days, and then we'll find out."

A door closes firmly at the top of the stairway, and Ben works his jaw, trying to maintain his composure and certain he was failing miserably.

"That…could have gone worse?" Jane whispers behind him, and the Fairy Godmother sighs thickly.

"I'm sorry Ben," she murmurs heavily. "I shouldn't have brought you here…shouldn't have said those things."

"You weren't wrong in them," Ben murmurs back, staring forlornly at the staircase.

"But it won't help the case any," she replies. "I'm afraid I've just made things worse. Again."

"You haven't," Ben retorts, slowly turning to face her. "Of course you haven't. You've just been trying to help, and they'll see that."

"They do see it," Jane says in an undertone, fidgeting with the bow on her dress. "They just like it...or, trust it, I don't think."

"They're going to have to," Ben says, grimacing at the idea. "If there's going to be even a hint of a chance that we can save them…they're going to have to trust us."

"What if we do just make it worse, though?" Jane asks, her eyes doubtful. "What it they don't want to be saved?"

* * *

 **Mal**

Boredom wasn't a concept that existed on the Isle. You were never still long enough to be 'bored'; you were always in motion. You stay still for too long and you died, it was that simple, and that complicated. So to be stuck in this tiny, sickeningly white room, lying in an (admittedly comfortable) bed with nothing to do but stare at the wall and think, was just pure torture for Mal.

Which is why, when the door clicks opens around 8 o'clock in the evening and familiar voices reach her ears, Mal could have readily cried with relief. And then they come in, and her relief hardens in her stomach to something closer to dread, and Mal ignores the brief stab of pain and forces herself to sit up as her group files in one by one.

Carlos is first, his head ducked and his eyes darting around the room instantly. She watches him catalog the pitiful lack of exits, notes the way his shoulders hunch defensively, and then quickly relax when he catches her eyes. It's not a 'normal' relaxation, however, and she forces herself to take in Evie, who follows closely behind Carlos. The dread in Mal's stomach hardens further as Evie smiles at her and instantly crosses to grab a chair from the wall. It's all too casual, and Evie doesn't just 'do' casual…not unless it's intentional. The other girl avoids Mal's eyes when she sits in the chair and smiles, and Mal sighs under her breath as she takes in Jay. The older boy had crossed to the wall to her left, leaning against it with one leg drawn under him, his arms folded over his chest and his fingers flexing subtly.

Mal lets out a bitter chuckle and shakes her head, rolling her gaze back over to Carlos as he all but leaps onto the bed beside her, tucking his feet up so he can fit comfortably between the railing.

"I was wondering how long it would take you guys," she mutters wryly, glancing up at Jay as she idly threads her fingers through Carlos' hair.

"To come visit?" Jay asks, with a brief quirk of his own lips.

"To fall apart," Mal replies, and Carlos tenses minutely under her hand.

"What?" Jay scoffs, but his eyes flicker and she _knows_ she's right.

"You've been hitting someone," she continues, pointedly nodding her head towards Jay's hands- specifically his bruised knuckles. "Someone's been hitting Carlos, and E…," she presses her lips together tightly as she takes in the other girl, the way she draws herself tighter with unmistakable guilt. "You told me you didn't bring it…that you destroyed it, actually. So what…?"

"It wasn't…I didn't-" the other girl tries to protest but Mal shoves herself upright sharply, her eyes flashing brightly.

"Don't. Don't you try and give me bullshit, Evie. Lie to everyone else; _never_ each other. That was the deal we all made when we came together, so don't. Just don't."

Evie flinches at her tone and draws herself even tighter, but Mal doesn't regret it. Can't regret it, not when they were all in danger because of her own recklessness. Not when any more slips of judgement or weakness could mean their death.

"I didn't…" Evie rasps weakly, but Mal doesn't let her finish, instead turning her gaze sharply to Jay.

"Jay, who did you hit?"

"No one," Jay responds immediately, and though his eyes reflect guilt at his perceived betrayal of Evie, there's also something resembling happiness there. "Turns out Auradon's gym has a pretty decent punching bag so I got a few rounds in."

Mal nods once in acknowledgment, even though she knows there's something more he had left out. More to make him feel something so strangely positive. But it wasn't what she was after right now, and so she turns to Carlos, softening her voice minutely for his sake and ruffling his hair again gently.

"Who do I have to go kill, C?"

Carlos tries to laugh, but it comes out too submissive a sound, and so he ends up shaking his head instead. "N-no one," he mutters quietly, his eyes peeking up at her carefully. "I mean, ju-just some assholes ffffrom the team, but they're…it's ta-ta-taken care of."

"Ok," Mal says briskly, satisfied that he really was ok but filing the information away for later because just what _was_ it with her group and not _telling_ her everything suddenly?

Evie shakes her head, and Mal hates that she can see how close to tears she is; hates how guilty she feels for doing this; for having to be doing this.

"E," she says softly, and that's all it takes for the other girl to break. Mal winces, but lets it happen, the room silent except for Evie's quiet sobs, and Mal reaches over Carlos to grab the girl's hand and squeeze tightly.

"I'm sorry," Evie cries hoarsely, and her tears hit the back of Mal's hand but she doesn't pull away. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to me, E," Mal murmurs, clenching her jaw against the welling of emotions and the rock that lodges itself in the back of her throat. "Just get rid of it."

"I didn't even mean to," Evie whimpers, her sobs less harsh despite the fact that Mal could still feel her tears against her hand. "I just…the _things_ they were _saying_ and I…I slipped."

"Who was it, E?" Mal presses, all set to start throwing fire again because no one messed with her crew and lived to brag about it, Auradon be damned.

"Nothing," Evie mumbles, taking her hand back to rifle through her wrinkled purse and pull out an equally wrinkled napkin. "No one. It was stupid."

"You're **not** stupid," Mal snarls viciously, reading through her words easily to the self-depreciation underneath. "I wouldn't have picked you for my group if I thought you were anything but incredibly clever."

"Ahem," Jay huffs from the wall, and Mal shoots him a look.

"Shut up Jay."

"But I…," Evie tries, and Mal shakes her head sharply.

"A mistake," she says, and it's as simple as that in her mind. "I don't think any less of you, E, you _know_ that. You _know._ "

You know I've made my own mistakes, and have the marks to prove each one.

"Just get rid of it, ok?" Mal taps Evie's hand, making sure she could see her eyes; making _sure_.

Evie nods, but she ducks her head again and Mal knows what she's expecting and she isn't having any of that.

"Evie."

"I will," she says quickly, a hot flicker of something raw and painful in her eyes. "I told you I'll…."

"No, E," Mal cuts in, shaking her head sharply. "That's not what I- Half a lifetime ago it was just me and Jay trying to stay alive and hold onto our turf. And then he said that he knew someone: someone who could help turn the tides in our favor."

Jay straightens against the wall, a look of surprise creeping onto his face. Carlos had shoved himself upright at the beginnings of a 'story,' his eyes wide, and Evie…Evie's eyes were bright with what Mal suspected were tears, but the way her lips were curved said something else entirely.

"So," she continues briskly, trying to ignore the prickling of her own emotions. "He tells me about this girl he knows from the other side of the Isle; some crazy little thing with bright blue hair that somehow convinced a shopkeeper to _give_ her some expensive piece of Auradon crap just by saying 'please.'"

Evie lets out a watery little laugh, and there's definitely a smile on her face now. Jay rolls his eyes and gives Mal a knowing look, and she subtly flips him off over Carlos' shoulder. Never mind the fact that it had taken a little more convincing on his part to get her to actually meet Evie, let alone bear to hear her name…it wasn't what the other girl needed to hear right now.

"He tells me how some girl with blue hair survived on the other side of the Isle against all odds, and I just _knew_ …I had to have her on my crew," Mal continues fiercely. "You're part of my crew, E. All of us. Always. Part of each other."

"Rotten," Jay chimes in, smirking just a bit as he moves closer.

"Rrotten," Carlos adds his voice, smiling softly as he presses himself just a little more against her side.

Evie blinks and the tears smear some of the color on her face, but the smile she gives is all that Mal really cares about.

"Rotten," she whispers hoarsely, and Mal allows her own smile to slip onto her face as she holds out her hand.

 _"To the core."_

Three hands join hers; three voices; three hearts; and for just that moment, Mal could almost let herself believe that everything was ok with the world.

Almost.

"Ok," she says abruptly, gently but firmly pressing against the small of Carlos' back, causing him to shift and pull away until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "That's enough…Auradon sentiment…."

The atmosphere shifts immediately at her words and she hates it, hates that she always has to take this role. But someone had to, and she wasn't going to let it be anyone else in her group.

"We need to focus on the serious stuff," Mal continues, glancing over to Jay and feeling just a bit of surprise to see him nodding.

"Yeah," he says, clearing his throat a bit and inching closer to Evie. "We do, actually. Um….." He trails off, and glances to Carlos, who looks away sharply, and Mal grimaces.

"Really?" she complains, glaring at Carlos until he drops his eyes from her, too. "Why do you two always fight when I'm not there? Seriously. Carlos!"

"Wwhat?" he snaps, but there's a guilt undercurrent to his voice that ruins the effect. "Not mu-mu-mu-mu-my fault Jay's such a ddick."

"Oh really, 'Los?" Jay growls, his fists clenching sharply. "You _really_ want to start….?"

"Sit d _own_ , Jay," Mal snarls, her eyes flashing, and Jay freezes, abruptly sitting down in the chair opposite Evie.

"O-oh," Carlos whispers meekly, eyes wide, and even Jay looks fearful for all of two seconds before he corrects it and glowers at her.

Damn, Mal chides herself silently. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad (good?) idea to take some lessons from the Fairy Godmother. If only so she wouldn't accidentally curse her group.

"Don't give me that look," she snaps, instead of the apology that had somehow come to the front of her mind. Like an _instinct._ "You guys need to get it together and quit acting like children."

"Tttechnically…," Carlos mumbles with a shrug of a shoulder and a smirk, and Mal glares at him.

"Don't start crap, Carlos," she snaps. "None of us have ever been 'children' like that…but I'd be happy to put you in time out if that's what you'd like."

Carlos's face goes deathly pale, his whole body stiffening against her, and Mal blinks, not understanding the signs for what they were.

"Carlos?" she says, reaching for his shoulder.

It was a mistake, and she knows it- watches almost from an outside, slow motion view- as her fingers close around his shoulder and he **screams**.

"Sonofabitch!" Jay hisses, flinching back as he jerks his hands up over his ears at the high pitched wail that comes from the boy's throat.

Mal stifles her own flinch, but only just, as Carlos screams again and throws himself to the floor, his hands coming up to fold over his head, his knees drawing up so sharply he almost smacks himself in the face.

"Msorry!" Carlos whimpers, but it's more scream than physical words, rocking slowly back and forth. "P-p-pl-please, no! I'll bbbbe good, good, pro-promise, please!"

" _Damnit_ Mal what the _fuck_ did you _do_?!" Jay hollers over Carlos' wailing, while Evie instantly goes into protection mode and tries to get down on the floor with Carlos.

It only succeeds in making it worse as Carlos flings himself backwards and into the nearest corner, eyes wide and unseeing, his body flinching with every movement as though expecting blows.

"I don't…" Mal tries to say, but her words are drowned by the combination of yet another terrified wail from Carlos, and the infirmary door bursting open.

"What's going on?" and "Is everything ok?"

Come in rapid succession as Ben (of-fucking-course, Ben) and Chad(?), along with a few other of the Auradon kids appear in the doorway. Jay snaps to attention, tense and wary and all set for defense, and Mal takes her cue for offense while Evie hovers somewhere in between, ready for a word to direct her. Normally, she'd be the one to help aid Carlos in anything tactical or involving a retreat, but seeing as neither option was readily available to them here, Mal was struggling to fight her own panic at the realization that they were sorely outnumbered.

"We heard screaming and…."

Ben's voice jolts Mal to action and she whirls on him, teeth bared and eyes flashing. "And what? Thought you'd come take in the show?"

This isn't the Isle, Mal reminds herself a second after the words leave her mouth, and she drops back into defense, signaling the rest of the group to do the same.

"Sorry," she hisses, shaking her head. "But now really isn't a good time for-"

Carlos wails again, a stream of apologies and pleas and promises that get tangled up with his tripping tongue, sending him into a desperate coughing fit for air. The danger surges up again, and Mal growls low in her throat, shaking her head hard. No no no! This wasn't safe, they weren't safe here! Too many people, too many eyes and Carlos was the clear weak point they would kill him first and she wasn't going to let them take him from her!

"Is he ok?"

Mal doesn't know which of the idiots had said it, but before she can launch herself at them someone else does it first.

"No, of course that screaming he's doing means he's ok!"

She blinks as everything comes back into focus, and is surprised to see Chad scowling sharply in Ben's direction. She can infer from there, as Ben seems equally surprised, and painfully clueless.

"But what," he begins, and Chad grimaces sharply.

"Panic attack," he says shortly, and Mal, Jay and Evie freeze.

Silence.

And then.

"How the hell did you know that?" Jay says lowly, and Chad blinks and pales just a shade.

"Just a guess," he says quickly, but it's too quick, and Mal knows that look and she stalks forward, full offense. She hears Jay flanking her, shifting the rank, and Evie shift closer for Carlos, but the blond haired pretty boy is all that's in her focus.

"You don't just _guess_ something so specific," she hisses, taking another step. "You don't just say 'panic attack' without understanding what it means, and more than that…you don't just say it about Carlos without _knowing_ what it means, so how the fucking hell did you _know_?"

Somewhere behind her, Carlos' screams shift into the unmistakable desperate sucking sounds of a drowning person, but they're muffled almost instantly by accompanying sobs. Mal feels Jay shift his weight, still covering her, but ready to fly back for Carlos as needed. She knows she needs to do the same, but Chad was far more interesting at the moment; especially when his body jerks at the sounds Carlos is making- like he'd wanted to run forward but caught himself at the last second.

"Chad?" Ben asks, but there's something behind his inflection that Mal can't figure out.

"Carlos," Evie murmurs, her voice hoarse and terrified. "It's ok…we're all here and no one…."

But her words are cut off by another frantic cry from Carlos, and Chad makes a sound that's part chuckle, part groan, and when Mal snaps her head back to him she sees a twisted sort of smile on his face.

"You're not gonna be able to talk him down," he says, and Evie lifts her head and glares without making eye contact.

"And how the fuck would you know that?" Jay growls, but Mal stays silent, eyeing him. She's started to make a connection, and she doesn't like the idea her brain is coming up with.

"Not like that you won't," Chad continues, ignoring Jay. "It's your voice. You don't sound like you…you sound like…her."

"What is he…?"

"Shut up Jay," Mal says, shifting her weight into a yielding posture.

"Chad?" Ben says again, a bit more insistently, and the twisting smile on the boy's face grows, pain and bitterness in his eyes.

"Well I mean," he says through another distorted chuckle. "I already broke through once so I guess I'm just par for the course."

And Mal absolutely loathes herself, but she heightens her yielding posture; feels Jay and Evie do the same behind her. She doesn't know how or why or when. But she knows _what_ , and so she yields, but not without some resistance.

"If you're wrong," she tells Chad as he crosses the threshold into the room. "If you hurt him. I will end you."

"I'd expect nothing less from a villain," the boy says, but she can see in his eyes that he's yielding to her, too.

And so she nods, and in the space of a few breaths the dynamic has changed. Chad is crouching in front of Carlos, but off to the side, leaving space between himself and the wall. Mal can still see Carlos' face, and part of Chad's. Evie and Jay regroup around her instantly, but she holds up a hand to stop them before they start.

"Watch," she commands them shortly.

And so they do.

* * *

 **Chad**

 _What are you doing? What in the name of all that is Good are you doing Charming?_

Chad honestly doesn't know, but he ignores the screaming in his brain. Ignores the way Ben was staring at him with that damned _pity_ look. Absolutely does not ignore Mal's warning though. Doesn't ignore the way she yielded to him, doesn't ignore the fact that he's treading on something sacred here, entering a territory that didn't belong to him. He idly wonders if Mal would have allowed something like this to happen a week ago, and instantly shuts down those thoughts. The answer was obvious enough.

Carlos was obvious enough, too, if you knew what to look for. Chad knew. The second he'd heard the scream; when he'd seen what was going on. The way the smaller boy had flinched and cowered at every syllable that either Evie or Mal spoke, but barely blinked at Jay or Ben or himself.

"Damn, Carlos," he sighs heavily as he crouches slowly a few feet away from the boy. "She did a number on you, I bet."

He keeps his voice low; just between them, but he knows he hadn't succeeded quite as well when he hears Jay hiss sharply behind him.

"Did he just…?!"

"Shut up," Mal snaps, and Carlos flinches, tucking himself tighter in the corner and whimpering something that sounds like an apology.

"Yeah, I know," Chad murmurs, lowering his voice even further. "You probably should be sorry. You probably did something _real_ bad, huh?"

"Didn't mmmean…," Carlos whispers between his fingers, his eyes locked on the floor. "Di-di-didn't mean to! I'm ssory I did-didn't!"

He cringes, and Chad grits his jaw tight, takes a second to breathe and work the lump out of his throat.

"No, you probably didn't," he agrees softly. "It also probably doesn't matter much to her, does it?"

Carlos says nothing, just whimpers low in his throat before pressing his hands over his lips and hissing between his fingers. Chad frowns, afraid he'd done something wrong, but then Carlos shakes his head and makes another low hissing noise, and he realizes it's not anything angry- it's a signal to be quiet.

"Quiet?" Chad repeats carefully, trying to see past Carlos' hands to his face. "Why are we being quiet, Carlos?"

The boy says nothing, but Chad receives his answer anyway as Carlos seems to lower himself slightly, like he was ducking underneath something. A blow, maybe? Or…oh.

"Hiding?" Chad guesses, inching just a bit closer. "We're hiding now, are we?"

Carlos nods once, just a short jerk of his chin, but Chad understands instantly and switches gears.

"Is there room for me to hide with you?" he murmurs, and Carlos hesitates, his eyes flickering around to eye the corner he's tucked into.

"N-no," he says firmly, and Chad lets out a short puff of air.

"Yeah ok, it was a bit of a stretch."

"The hell are you doing, Charming?" Jay snaps sharply behind him, and Chad scowls angrily before remembering that _he_ was the one who the outsider here, not Jay.

"It's not a panic attack," he forces himself to explain quickly. "At least, not anymore. He's kind of just…in between…in his mind, he's somewhere else, so none of this is registering to him."

"That makes zero sense," Jay deadpans, and Chad rolls his eyes.

"Maybe not to you," he snaps with a curl of his lip, but then he catches Mal's eye and his insult falters on the end of his tongue.

Chad glances at Carlos to see that he's stopped trying to muffle his voice, but he was still tucked way too tightly in the corner for his liking. A flicker of an image presses itself into his mind; remembering the way his mother had tucked herself against the counter as she cowered from him…. Chad shakes his head sharply and the image fades away, but the echo of it was still sitting right there in front of him.

"Ssorry," Carlos mutters weakly, and Chad rolls his weight forward to that he was kneeling just beside the other boy.

"Yeah, you've mentioned that," Chad replies, keeping his voice intentionally blank. "A few times…why are you sorry, Carlos? I'm not mad at you."

"Sssshe is," Carlos mumbles, his eyes on something over Chad's shoulder. "'I-i-if you're goooing to act like a ch-child, you can be tr-r-reated like one.' Tha-that's what she sai-sai-said."

Oh if only Lonnie were here, Chad thinks ruefully, but then he focuses on Carlos' words, and his eyes narrow briefly.

"Who said?"

He glances over his shoulder, but all he gets are suspicious looks and shakes of heads, though Mal's eyes flicker almost guiltily and he registers that she had been the trigger somehow.

"What did you say?" he asks her quietly, inching back from Carlos just a bit so his voice didn't carry.

"If you're trying to say that I…"

"No, but something _you_ said reminded you of whatever it was that _she_ said," Chad huffs impatiently, cutting across Mal's offense. "What did you say?"

"We were joking," she says finally, her expression steel as she glares at him. "He was being childish and I said…I said something along the lines of putting him in time out to-"

But at those two words, Carlos flinches back so hard he hits the wall with an audible thump and _screams_. The sound tears through Chad and he flinches a little himself, blinking as Carlos brings his hands up over his head, his fingers tearing desperately through his hair as he starts to choke again.

"And now we're back to the panic attack," Chad quips emotionlessly. But secretly he's a bit relieved. This he can handle, far better than the strange in-between the boy had been in before.

"I don't get it though." Chad hears Mal hiss in frustration behind him. "Cruella never…."

Chad pauses, and sees Ben start in the doorway. He shakes his head quickly, glaring pointedly at Ben. 'Not. Now' he mouths, and though Ben grits his jaw, he says nothing, and Chad turns his attention back to Carlos.

"Alright then," he sighs wearily, sinking back down to ground level. "I know you can hear me so it'd be nice if you could actually look at me instead of screaming, 'kay, Carlos?"

Jay growls a curse at him, but Carlos' cries instantly taper off, his head lifting from his arms minutely.

"That's better," Chad concedes, allowing just a hint of his suppressed emotion into his voice. "I mean, it's not great, but you know; I can work with it."

Carlos quiets completely, and though his breathing is still too fast and desperate, his eyes peek up at Chad from underneath his hands; and Chad can read all of the confusion and terror and pain written so plainly in that one glance.

"Yeah, I know," he murmurs quietly, working to keep his voice steady. "But there really is nothing to freak out over. You can breathe, right?"

Carlos' eyes flicker uncertainly, and Chad lifts a brow at him. The terror slips, the confusion giving way to frustration as Carlos struggles to take an even breath.

"Well obviously doing it like that isn't working," Chad retorts softly, rolling his eyes for the boy's sake. His illusion might have been damaged beyond repair for everyone else, but for Carlos at least, it was real enough, and Chad would hide behind that asshole-charade for as long as he could.

Carlos' eyes narrow at him, and he straightens just a bit, attempting another breath just to spite him. It's much better than before, but still not normal enough, and Chad lets his lips quirk upwards into a smirk.

"Try it like this," Chad continues, his mind working through the steps as he spoke. "Take a breath- _slowly. Slowly_ , Carlos, slowly…."

Carlos makes a face at him, but does as he's told and manages the first breath in. Chad counts silently to four, then nods at the other boy.

"Alright, not bad," he mutters. "Now hold it…" he counts seven seconds, then guides Carlos through a slow exhale, counting to eight.

When he finishes, a bit of the death lifts from Carlos' face, his eyes more focused and his body still.

"Nicely done, Carlos," Chad says, still with a smirk, but his words are genuine and it must have come through because the boy relaxes even further. "Think you can do that one more time?"

Carlos blinks, and Chad takes it for a yes and carefully coaches the boy through another round of breathing. Chad watches the awareness come back into him about halfway through, and he quickly -but carefully so as not to startle him again- slides backwards and shoves himself to his feet, letting the rest of the VKs take over from there.

Chad slips backwards towards the door, ignoring Ben: 'What did you do, Chad?' and the others 'What happened?' 'Was someone screaming?' 'Someone was screaming, is everything ok?' and 'Chad, what happened?' 'What did you do?'

The VKs curl themselves around Carlos, all defensive, all protecting, their voices murmuring together in soothing rhythm to bring the boy all the way back to reality. Chad watches the remainder of the fear flicker across his face, then fade away as he takes in the faces of the VKs around him. Chad doesn't know why ( _lies…liar_ , his brain hisses at him. _You know exactly why_ ) but he feels a brief pang of regret; of jealously, almost…for not being able to fully share in the moment.

Mal lifts her head, and something strange and unreadable twists her expression as she stares at him. Chad tries to find his sneer but abandons the effort instantly. It's not worth it. Not right now. And then, Mal's expression clears, or rather, returns to neutral, and she nods at him slowly. Just once, and nothing more, but her meaning is plenty clear.

Thank you.

He almost laughs, but he thinks it might come out more like something else if he opens his mouth and so Chad just quirks his lips at her and shrugs a shoulder dismissively.

Just trying to stay alive.

He turns away before anything _else_ can happen… _before he breaks something breaks someone breaks himself he can't let anything else happen and why does it always…?_

His thoughts are interrupted by the suddenly aching silence in the hall beyond the door, and he looks up to see the Fairy Godmother standing there, Ben and Audrey the only other people with her.

"Oh, you've got to be fu-"

"Chad," The Fairy Godmother says quickly, and he bites the inside of his cheek and grimaces sharply, shaking his head. "Would you kindly meet me in my office?"

Why does it always end like this?

* * *

 _[Unaddressed letter to Mr. Oscar, Isle of the Lost]_

 _Carlos._

 _My last letter was too short. And strange, I'm sure. If you even got it, that is. I don't know what they're actually allowing through to the Isle but I thought it couldn't hurt to try. I haven't seen you since they closed the barrier, and I didn't want…I didn't want that to be the last you saw me. I added a picture, too, just in case._

 _I don't know what to say, can you tell? I hope…well. I hope you're safe. I hope your mother is well, despite everything. I hope she's letting you talk, and that maybe you could write back._

 _If I ever get the courage to send these._


	25. Can you save my (heavydirty) soul?

**Hey guys, Happy Thanksgiving! Here's a new chapter for you all. :)**

 **Sorry for being gone for so long. Things were a bit rough for a while between school and trying to figure out a new work schedule, as well as coming out to my parents which…didn't go well. The worst has passed and things have mostly settled back down but yeah, it was really rough for a while and so I haven't been writing but I'm back now and let's just leave it at that.**

 **To the reviews, shall we? Also, **Important Warnings** in my Author's Note so please don't skip it!**

* * *

 **tigerladygamer: Haha, I'm sorry about that! But hey, this one's at a normal time for once so uh, enjoy?**

 **Descendants5HLM: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm really glad you're enjoying my story so much and it means a lot to hear that you think I'm doing a good job portraying everything and everyone. I love writing Chad, to be honest, though I worried how people would react to him because a lot of the fandom writes him off (haha, pun intended) as an asshole and nothing more. But I'm really glad you like my characterization of Chad and everyone else.**

 **And yes, totally telepathic, lol. ;) The mystery man won't remain so for much longer, ahem. I've left a final hint as to his identity for you, though he will still remain a mysterious presence.**

 **I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy! I look forward to hearing what you think. :)**

 **StoryWriting1414: Aw, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! And I'd been wanting to write another deep Chad/Carlos moment for a while, so I was excited about that moment in the chapter too. As for what triggered him, I implied it a bit in the chapter but we get further clarification in this chapter as well. Basically it was Mal's threat to put him in time out, which reminded him of Cruella's threats to do the same.**

 **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guest 1: I might hear it a lot but I never get tired of it! It always makes me really excited each time, so believe me when I tell you that I'm really glad you love my story! :)**

 **bluewolf2208: ¡Me alegra que hayas disfrutado tanto el capítulo! Y que te gustó la interacción de Mal con Chad. Pensé que era una parte importante del desarrollo del personaje en ambas partes, así que me alegro de que les haya gustado, y espero que continúen leyendo y disfrutando. :)**

 **Kry Chi: Oh ho, you clever little Kry, you! ;) I'm sitting over here grinning like the Cheshire Cat reading your review because one, you're just so _clever_ figuring things out, but two, I do still have a trick or two up my sleeve. (Not for too much longer as you'll see, but let me maintain my illusion of All-Powerful-Author for just a moment, will you?)**

 **I hope you enjoy! :)**

 **manticore-gurl071134: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you will continue to!**

 **EvietoyourMal: I'm glad your teeth are healing, and that you enjoyed the chapter so much. I loved the Lonnie/Jay interaction, too. And believe me, you're not saying anything different than what I've been thinking, lol. Beast needs to get it together. He will, eventually, but it'll be a fun process of being a jerk and the consequences before things settle.**

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **Nyehhhh : Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you loved the chapter and the developments with Chad! Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Jewelz1642: It was really intense, but I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless. I had fun writing Jay and Lonnie together. We should be seeing some Ben/Mal soon, though, so hopefully you can hold out till then. :) Chad and Carlos was also a fun bit to write. They're getting there, but any little bit of mutual trust with a VK and an AK is pretty huge on both sides. (was that foreshadowing? I think so…)**

 **As for the triggers, I am doing my best to keep the warnings available and to just handle everything as respectfully as I can, so I'm glad to hear that you think I'm doing a good job in that respect as well. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Tiredandlazy: Haha, yeah it was a bit of a doozy wasn't it? I am unapologetically one of those people for whom angst is life, so uh, it will certainly come through a bit in the writing. ;) And there's no shame in getting emotional over fictional characters! It's further proof that the writer is doing their job, lol, and writing characters worth feeling for.**

 **As for the Beast and the meeting, yes, that nasally voice was Kropp, lol. Payback will be coming oh so soon (next chapter, actually but ssh) so don't you worry about that! Mal can certainly read them all so well, but it wasn't always that *hint hint* it has something to do with the fact that she actually has feelings! ;)**

 **And Chaddy Chad does to and now everyone knows it! As for the letters well, there's another one at the end here that just might answer your questions. Or open up a well of other ones. But yeah, my mystery man isn't anyone quite so 'classic.' And that's all the hints I'll give or else I'll spoil my own surprise!**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy and as always I look forward to hearing your ramblings. :)**

 **Guest 2: Thank you for the idea! I have an outline for Mal's emotional breakdown but I definitely appreciate the suggestion, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Time Turner: Never be afraid to review, I love hearing from everyone! Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much and I hope you will continue to do so. :)**

 **Ash: Aw, thank you for the kind words! I'm sorry for making you cry, though, but I'm glad you enjoy my story and hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **OhHamilton: Thank you so much for the kind words! It means a lot that you enjoy my writing so much, as well as the story. :) I hope that you will keep reading and enjoying, and don't you worry, I will never stop writing!**

 **Random Reader: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this so much and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes!**

 **Ok guys, this chapter is a little bit longer for you, and we get some pretty big (and heavy) revelations.**

 **The ***WARNINGS!*** Are as follows: Warnings for language, brief (accidental) violence where a character lashes out at another after waking from a nightmare, as well as brief implications of a panic/anxiety attack; brief mentions of death and murder; mentions of past child abuse and neglect as well as mentions and brief descriptions of sexual abuse/assault. Nothing graphic, but it is mentioned and heavily implied! Implied homophobia, internalized homophobia/brief homophobic slurs, as well as the implied abuse of a student by a teacher.**

 **Man, when I spell it all out it sounds so much worse. But I wanted to let you know so you were all aware. Don't worry, there's actually some fluff in this one!**

* * *

 **Note 2:**

 **This one is short but also important. The prompt from last chapter was sent in to me by the wonderful Shots and Giggles, and they requested that I showcase more of the VKs' skills, specifically featuring Jay and/or Lonnie and a spar in Auradon's gym. I couldn't say it in the beginning of the last chapter for fear of spoilers, but I wanted to make sure I gave the full credit. :)**

 **On to the chapter! I hope you guys enjoy and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **Ben**

The Fairy Godmother's office isn't that far away, but in the space of the few minutes' walk Ben had mentally slogged through so much information it felt like he'd crossed the entire school yard. Audrey is silent beside him, and he can feel the tension in her body with only a brief brushing of his arm against hers. And Chad…Chad is another matter entirely. The other boy is quiet in an almost tortured way, his expression twisted in a painful grimace, his hands in shaking fists at his sides. Ben notices that despite the fact that his hands are no longer bandaged, they're still rather bruised, and he wonders with some dread just what or who the boy had been hitting.

"Chad?" Ben questions softly, his voice too loud in the empty hallway.

Chad stiffens, the grimace tightening on his face, but he says nothing, and Audrey threads her fingers through Ben's and squeezes.

"Does anyone want to attempt to fill me in?" The Fairy Godmother says, her voice clipped as they near her office. "Just how did the situation become so uncontrolled?"

"I don't know," Chad mutters, his voice heavy but mocking all the same. "Maybe it was something to do with the lack of adult supervision."

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Charming?"

Chad winces and bites his lip hard, effectively falling silent, and the Fairy Godmother pauses to unlock the door before letting them all file in past her. Ben sits in one of the two chairs placed just in front of the Fairy Godmother's desk, while Audrey promptly sits in the one adjacent to him. Chad hesitates a moment, then presses himself into the nearest corner of the wall and crosses his arms, his expression clearing and settling into something painfully emotionless.

The Fairy Godmother pauses just a moment to take them all in, and Ben wonders just what it is she sees that makes her grimace as sharply as she does before she finally sits at her desk. She folds her hands together and places them neatly on the wooden surface, though Ben notes the slight tremor and realizes that she's just as thrown by everything as they are.

"Now then," she says, and her voice does nothing to betray whatever emotion Ben thinks her trembling hands imply. "Who wants to go first?"

Ben flicks his eyes over to Chad to find him staring right back, the look on his face telling him that the other boy had absolutely no intention of speaking first, if at all.

"I don't really know what happened," Ben finally says, after realizing that Chad really wasn't going to answer. "We got there after…um…after Carlos had started screaming."

He winces his way through the words, his mind bringing back the haunting sound of the younger boy's cries, the kind that no human voice should have been able to produce. Not easily. Not with that much…terror. Audrey hisses a sharp gasp beside him, but Ben's eyes flicker to Chad, who had tensed visibly but remained unyielding.

"I-screaming?" The Fairy Godmother chokes, echoing Ben's own horrified disbelief.

"Apparently," Ben continues slowly, still eyeing Chad and half hoping the other boy would see fit to jump in. "Carlos had a panic attack. I don't know what caused it, but _Chad_ actually uh, saved the day."

He attempts a weak smile, but Chad's eyes are steely and pained, and Ben knows he shouldn't have tried for humor with something as serious as this.

"Chad?" Audrey repeats, and Ben doesn't know if it's admiration or incredulity in her voice; and isn't quite sure which he prefers

"Would you care to elaborate, Chad?" The Fairy Godmother questions, and Chad's lip curls ever so slightly.

"Not particularly, no," he drawls off handedly, his eyes locked on the wall opposite him, his tense posture emphasizing his adamancy.

"Chad," Ben snaps without quite meaning to, and the other boy's eyes flicker just enough that Ben can see the swirling pit of emotions inside.

"There's nothing to 'elaborate,'" Chad snaps right back, but his body is defensive, his expression guarded. "If anything this just proves how unstable the villain kids really are, and that Auradon isn't the kind of place that they need."

"Nice try," Ben retorts, on his feet without knowing how he got there. "But now that everyone's seen you care, you're going to have to be serious about this."

"Oh, I was," Chad replies, heat rising in his tone if not his face. "Auradon isn't even able to handle my mom- not that there's anything that they need to 'handle.' What makes you think that we can take on four kids who _clearly_ have some serious issues?"

Ben blinks, unsure whether to be angry or relieved or resentful. He regrets, at least, pushing Chad into caring so much about the VKs. Because it was clear that the boy did care, in some capacity, and yet now- stupid, really, just how insecure was he?- now Ben couldn't help but feel bitter about it all. About how quickly _his plan_ was no longer just his, with everyone else getting caught up in caring so much.

"You bring up a good point," the Fairy Godmother concedes on Ben's behalf, and he sinks back into his chair, feeling more than a bit deflated. "Which is why I've contacted some people who are much more equipped to, as you've said, 'handle' the situation."

"I don't understand," Ben begins, but Chad's expression twists sharply, his eyes so hard Ben thinks a fire could be sparked from the flint.

"She means a shrink," he all but spits, his body twitching in what Ben suspects might have been a flinch, but the gesture is restrained too quickly to tell.

"It's really not that archaic," the Fairy Godmother interjects coolly, her brows furrowing slightly at Chad's reaction. "And I'll assure you that it's nothing like what I _know_ you're thinking, Chad."

Her voice gentles over that last sentence, like slowing down for a speed bump. But she clearly hadn't slowed enough because Chad still seems rattled, his entire body stiff and jarring as he crosses his arms and lapses back into silence.

"My father had some good points to raise as well," Audrey speaks up for the first time, her eyes wary as she looks between all the occupants in the room before settling on Ben. "He said one important thing we had to do was establish a safe space for the VKs; somewhere that was just theirs that no one else could get to. It would give them a sense of security and maybe help build some trust."

The Fairy Godmother nods, and even Chad relaxes minutely. Ben feels a brief, warm flicker of relief, before Chad opens his mouth again.

"That is a good idea," he says, and Ben finds himself tensing for the 'but.' "At least, until they're sent back to whatever kind of abusive environment that would effectively shatter that security and that is, apparently, so traumatizing as to cause something like panic attacks to become a regular part of a person's life."

"Chad!" Ben snaps, because there really isn't anything else he can say to that.

"What?" the other boy is just as vicious, more, even, as he whirls on Ben. "You wanted me to care, didn't you? Well this is me fucking caring!"

 _"Chad_ ," the Fairy Godmother repeats sternly, though there's a heaviness in her voice, a sadness in her eyes.

"Damn it," Chad hisses, turning sharply away and drawing his hand back as though to punch the wall before thinking better of it. He brings his hand up and tugs sharply at his hair instead, wincing before shaking his head. "Fuck _damnit_."

And before Ben can think of anything to say, something to do, Chad stalks to the door; yanking it open and slamming it shut so forcefully that the cartoon version of Simba trembles on the posterized version of his tree branch. There's a tense, harsh beat of silence, and then Audrey stands, her hands twisting the hem of her skirt.

"I've got him," she sighs more than speaks, and Ben just blinks as she, too, leaves.

Even though she's more gentle in her exit, it's her absence that hits Ben the hardest. He's not surprised, and yet, he is. He sinks back into his chair in stunned disbelief, his mind swirling and derailing any functioning thought processes.

"Well…Shit," he mutters, the only thing his non-functioning brain could come up with at the moment.

"Language, Benjamin," the Fairy Godmother scolds, but when he looks at her face he thinks that she wouldn't have minded letting out a choice word or two of her own.

"What are we…what am I even supposed to do now?" he protests weakly.

"Patience is a virtue, Ben," the Fairy Godmother says in response, and Ben sinks even further into his chair.

It was, but he had a deadline to uphold. Patiently waiting for his best friend to stop being an asshole wasn't going to help the situation. The one that he had been responsible for in the first place. Ben didn't think this often- in fact, he thinks it might be the first time he'd truly meant it- but now more than ever he couldn't help but wonder if things really wouldn't have been easier if he'd never made his decree in the first place.

* * *

 **Evie**

As perceptive of others as Evie is, she still finds herself paling in comparison to Mal's scrutiny. It never ceased to amaze (and terrify) her how the other girl could take one look at a person and know instantly just what weaknesses to exploit- just a little slit here and the blood would come pouring out. She flinches back from the dark turn her mind had taken in its comparison, trying to focus back on Carlos; on Jay; on Mal.

The infirmary room is painfully quiet in the aftermath of Carlos' latest episode, only occasionally punctuated by a breath; a shuffle of clothing; a sniff from Jay, who still hadn't moved from his position beside the smaller boy, his knee just brushing Carlos' hip. Evie had taken up position on Carlos' other side, her fingers wrapped around his, her thumb tracing circular patterns on his palm, while Mal had placed herself in front of all of them, her body tense as she eyed the door. The worst of it was over, thanks to Chad Charming, of all people, and Evie hadn't had much of a chance to twist that thought over before Jay was commenting on it.

"So, Mal," the older boy says, his voice quiet for Carlos' sake but no less harsh. "Just what was going through your head an hour ago that you let that Auradon _prick_ near Carlos? Near any of us, really?"

Mal says nothing, but Evie sees the stiffness in her body increase slightly. Jay's expression twists sourly, but he remains by Carlos' side, although his own body mirrors Mal's unyielding posture.

"I'm really just having trouble understanding it, honestly," he continues, his tone holding the bitter edge of sarcasm. "Cuz see, the last thing you do is invite the person who tried to _murder you_ inside for another try."

"And yet somehow you're still here," Mal quips icily, turning her head to glare at Jay. Evie sees her eyes soften minutely as they drift to Carlos, who'd managed to fall asleep between the two of them. _You're_ both _still here,_ her gaze seems to say, her voice lower.

"Probably only because of the convenience of having witnesses," Jay retorts, but he'd lowered his voice some as well.

"I don't think that's it," Evie speaks up carefully, shifting her weight discreetly to stretch her legs. Her arm shifts with her movement as she winces as the fabric of her sleeve brushes the cuts concealed underneath. Mal catches her reaction, and her eyes flicker as they stare at her; but she says nothing, to Evie's relief and rekindled shame. She looks away quickly to find Jay staring at her as well, though his expression is more skeptical than anything judgmental.

"What do you mean, you don't think that's it?" he snaps, his brow furrowing in frustration. "You saw what he and his sidekicks did to me and Carlos, right? I bet this is his way of weaseling in; searching for more weaknesses."

"Mal wouldn't have let him in if that were the case," Evie counters, pointing out the obvious. "Or are you saying you don't trust her leadership? Is that it?"

"Guys," Mal says, cutting across Jay's enraged intake of breath. "Shut up. You're gonna wake the whole school with your arguing."

Or at least Carlos, her pointed glare finishes, and Jay pouts, but falls silent as directed. Evie bites at her lips, thinking back over Chad's reaction and just how…fluent…the other boy had been in handling the situation.

"He said…he said he was just 'par for the course,'" Evie recalls, glancing at Carlos as he shifts his weight further against Jay in his sleep. "Like he'd done it before."

"He has," Mal says, her voice not quite as wondering as Evie's, but cautious all the same. "That's why I let him…I could tell he'd done _something_ like this before."

"Not for Carlos, though," Jay is quick to interject, his eyes slightly fearful at the thought. "There's no way that asshole could have…."

"He used his name," Evie says, her gasp of realization turning her words into a hiss. "Chad called him 'Carlos,' specifically. Not de Vil, like he usually does."

"He _usually_ calls him Freak," Jay corrects with a sneer. "If he talks to him at all. Which is why he shouldn't have been allowed to do anything in the first place!"

"E," Mal mutters, and Evie looks up to see Mal's gaze is as far off and pensive as her voice. "Do you remember what Lady Tremaine was like back on the Isle?"

"Just because she runs the only salon doesn't mean I was that desperate to subject myself to _that_ woman's company," Evie shudders. "I'd only go if I was sure one her daughters was working instead…even Antoine, slimy bastard that he is- seemed to be afraid of her sometimes."

Mal hums once, though whether it's a thoughtful hum or one of acknowledgment, Evie can't quite tell.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jay asks, carefully shifting his body so Carlos' head was against his arm instead of his shoulder.

"What are you thinking, M?" Evie adds, though she thinks she has an idea.

"I'm thinking," Mal drawls, her lips somewhere between a smirk and a frown. "That there just may be one person in Auradon who understands some of the shit we've been through."

"You kidding?" Jay scoffs, rolling his eyes as he makes the connection. "Cinderella? One of the most loved of the fairytale princesses? That's…that…actually kind of makes sense?"

He trails off with a confused frown, his brow furrowed as he tries to work it out.

"You think that's how Chad knew what to do about Carlos?" Evie surmises, not quite sure how to feel about the idea. "Why he kept mentioning a 'her' instead of something random?"

"It could work in our favor," Jay says softly, almost to himself. "If Ben really is insistent on setting us up in front of the Council…maybe we can get them on our side with her."

"Wait, what?" Mal blinks, and Evie winces as she realizes they hadn't gotten a chance to discuss that yet.

"Oh," Jay says, coming to the same realization. "Yeah, uh…Ben thinks he has a way to fight the King's decree. Apparently everyone has to take a vote or something, 'to make it fair' or whatever, cuz, Auradon," he scoffs briefly, rolling his eyes, then rushes to finish as he catches Mal's eye. "So if we can convince them that we're better off here…we don't have to go back."

Mal stares blankly a moment, then scowls sharply, her eyes sparking green. "Convince them that we….no we a better plan than that. One that involves a certain magic wand? Remember that? Our whole point of coming here?"

Jay winces at her sharp tone, but he glares his own defiance right back at her. "It might have been _your_ point," he argues. "But maybe we actually kind of like it here and don't want to see everyone dead. Have you thought about _that_?"

Mal is stopped from her brutal slaughtering of Jay by Carlos, who jerks awake silently, his eyes wide and frantic. Jay startles in surprise, and Carlos blinks as he realizes who he's lying on. Then he reddens and shoves himself upright instantly, scooting back a few feet so he's closer to Evie.

"Ssorry," he mutters, running a hand nervously through his hair. "I di-didn't mean to-to-to-to…."

"Chill, dude. You're fine," Jay dismisses easily, if only slightly impatiently. He's still glaring a bit at Mal, though, and Evie watches Carlos follow his gaze.

"W-what's hap-pening?" he asks, caution and sleep thickening his voice.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Mal replies, just as carefully, inching forward slightly. "Do you…do you remember?"

Carlos frowns, his eyes unsure as he takes in where he's siting. Evie watches him make the connection, and he blushes before going pale again.

"Did I…I had a…?" He chews at his lip as he trails off, embarrassed, and Evie squeezes his hand reassuringly.

"A fit," Jay confirms, blunt as ever, and Carlos cringes back into the wall.

"I don't…I don't reme-me-member," he whispers, his eyes flickering with terror.

"It's over now, though," Evie quickly moves to assure, shooting Jay a dirty look over Carlos' shoulder. "You don't have to worry about it, ok? No one freaked out or got mad about it so it's good."

"Wh-what do you mean, 'no-no one?'"

"What do you remember, Carlos?" Mal cuts in before Carlos can get himself worked up over Evie's slip. "Do you know why it happened this time?"

"Wwe we-were on the bed," Carlos murmurs, sliding his hand out of Evie's to grip his knees. "And I think…I was mad at Jay…" He darts an anxious look to the boy in question, who glances away sheepishly.

"I was a jerk before," he manages tentatively. "In the dining hall and with everything…sorry."

Carlos shakes his head, but Evie isn't sure if it's because he's rejecting the apology or if he's still confused.

"I don't kn-now," he mumbles. "I don't know why….?"

"I made a joke," Mal says, her words quick and tight. Evie can tell she's still guilty by the way her voice tremors slightly, though she holds Carlos' gaze firmly. "About putting you in time out if you couldn't get along with Jay."

Carlos blinks, his face twitching with an emotion that Evie couldn't identify before tucking himself a bit tighter into the corner.

"Oh," he manages, his voice just slightly hoarse. "Ye-yeah, that wwould do it."

"Carlos?" Evie presses carefully, but he shakes his head and the horror fades from his eyes.

"You-you guys talked mme out of it though, rrright?" he continues, peering up at them. "It wasn't bad?"

"No, actually," Mal says, and her voice is tighter, her expression strained. "We didn't."

"Wh-what?" Carlos yelps weakly, his eyes wide.

"You just kept screaming," Jay mumbles, wincing as he meets Carlos' eyes. "No one could do anything."

"You key-keep saying that," Carlos says shakily, his fingers tightening around his knees. "Li-li-like there was more than just…."

"Ben and some of the other Auradon kids heard and came running, wondering what was wrong and how to help," Evie takes over the explanation when Mal grits her jaw. "And that was when…Chad stepped in."

Carlos jerks in surprise, his brow lifting his entire expression into shock. Shock, but not fear, Evie notes with no little surprise of her own. Not hatred or anything horrified like they had all definitely been.

"He…he did what?" Carlos repeats slowly.

"Actually helped, believe it or not," Jay manages with a brief, sarcastic chuckle that doesn't extend further than his throat.

Carlos blinks, like he doesn't quite believe it. Or maybe, doesn't want to believe it? Then his face screws up slowly in a bluff for confusion that Evie _knows_ is fake, but doesn't know what the fakeness is trying to cover up.

"Am…am I ssupposed to th-thank him for that?" he asks, his voice pitched a little higher to go with his confused expression. "I do-don't think that's how it wworks."

"Yeah," Jay snorts in agreement, rolling his eyes. "It's definitely not how it works."

"Do you _want_ to thank him?" Evie asks, eyeing him just as closely as Mal, though the other girl remains silent in her scrutiny as always.

"Nnot partic….no," Carlos finishes, when he realizes the word won't come.

"Then I'd say just ignore him and hope he doesn't think you owe him anything," Jay says with a shrug, before shoving himself up to his feet. "That's what I'd do, anyway."

Carlos remains on the floor a moment longer, his expression falling into something almost brooding before he blinks and it clears.

"Yeah, ok," he mutters idly, carefully pushing himself to his feet as well.

"Los," Mal says, before Carlos can complete his attempted retreat. "You never did explain…what exactly caused it."

Evie freezes, glancing quickly to Carlos and mentally chiding Mal for her complete lack of tact. Clearly it wasn't something he wanted to focus on, given how effortlessly he'd managed to drive the conversation away from it.

"It's nnnothing," Carlos tries to deflect, but his fingers twitch sharply at his waist before clenching shakily. "Ju-just…mom had more than one c-c-c-closet and it was ssmall and I w-was small and le-le-let's leave it at that, ok?"

"Carlos," Mal begins, but then she catches herself, and shakes her head. "Ok. We can worry about everything tomorrow."

It's then that Evie looks at clock above the door and realizes just how long they'd been sitting there. It's nearly 11 o'clock, and while that normally wouldn't have bothered her too much back on the Isle, they still have a Goodness class with Fairy Godmother in the morning, and the last thing Evie wants it to show up unrested. Lack of sleep led to rushed mornings, and she might not have enough time to properly do her hair and she'd never attract any Prince's attention with less than perfect hair.

"Right," she says quickly, standing and nudging Carlos into an upright position as well. "Just because we're villains doesn't mean we can't keep a schedule," she chirps, if only to alleviate the tension Carlos' revelation had brought.

"Um, I think the whole lack of schedules is the point," Jay drawls, raising a brow at her.

"Not if we're trying to put our best selves forward," she counters smoothly, prodding Carlos into a forward motion. He seemed to sink back into his tiredness more readily, shuffling his feet and not quite focusing on anything in particular.

"Ugh," Jay groans, rolling his neck and eliciting a disturbing loud series of pops and cracks. "Why do have to be right? It's no fun."

"Just try and follow Auradon's lead, ok?" Mal says as she follows them to the door. "I don't think I have enough magic in reserve to bail you out of another fight."

"I wasn't fighting!" Jay protests, but Evie shoves him out of the door before he can get going.

"I'll keep them in line," she promises Mal, who nods at her, her green eyes dark and solemn.

"Don't get too caught up in Auradon shit, ok?" Mal says, and her voice is surprisingly soft, a sincerity in her words that doesn't match the severity of her eyes.

"We'll be fine," Evie quickly deflects, glancing over her shoulder to see that Jay and Carlos have almost made it to the end of the hall.

"E," Mal insists, and Evie sighs, turning reluctantly to meet her gaze.

"Yeah," she whispers, fighting not to let her emotions betray her again. "Ok."

"Evil dreams," Mal says, a smirk playing at her lips as her eyes sparkle with a rare sort of mischief.

Evie finds herself chuckling in spite of everything, her own smile tugging at her cheeks. "You too, M," she replies, before turning and following after the remaining three quarters of their group.

With any luck, they wouldn't get caught sneaking into the dorms after curfew. And just maybe get to try some of the sweeter things they'd seen at breakfast earlier that week. They weren't exactly evil thoughts, but it was something to look forward to, and it was enough for her.

* * *

 **Jay**

Jay knows that things with Carlos still aren't entirely ok the moment they reach their dorm room. The smaller boy had all but teleported into the fireplace and hadn't come out since. Jay had changed into a much more loose fitting set of pants and a sleeveless shirt in preparation for bed, and idly experimented with the television set. It got so many more channels than the cheap little box TV his dad owned, and Jay had been thrilled when he'd landed on some action movie with high tech cars and street races and explosions. He was almost positive that none of it was real, but he couldn't quite be sure.

"Hey, 'Los," he calls, glancing towards the silent opening in the wall. "Is it actually possible for a car to shoot liquid nitrogen like a blowtorch or…?"

Silence from the fireplace, and then a brief shuffle of movement before Carlos' voice echoes out a flustered: "Wh-wh-wh-what?"

Jay hadn't actually thought that would work, but sure enough, Carlos was carefully crawling out of the fireplace, soot trailing from his hair and clothes. Jay shuffles over some on the bed, and the other boy takes the offered seat, curling up cautiously against him and squinting at the screen.

"W-wait," Carlos says, blinking a bit. "Is that car ac-ac-actuallly driving up the sside of a building?"

"Right?!" Jay hoots, thrilled to have gotten Carlos out of his shell, and at having a partner to watch the crazy stunts with. "And check it, just a couple scenes ago, this one dude, was like, running along a bus that was falling off a cliff; and he jumped at the last second and survived!"

"Nno way!" Carlos retorts, his face scrunching skeptically as he shakes his head.

"It was too cool to lie about, dude," Jay swears, as solemnly as he can while trying to keep an eye on the racing cars.

"But none of thi-this is possible in re-re-real life," Carlos tries to protest in serious tone, but Jay can tell he's too into it to care, either.

They watch about an hour of the movie before Jay feels the bed sag a little, along with increased pressure against his side, and he blinks down at Carlos, who'd tucked himself into a ball with his head propped against Jay's hip. Normally, he wouldn't mind the closeness, but his body is still buzzing from the spar with Lonnie and everything else that had ensued; and so he purposefully shoves himself back, causing Carlos to fall against the bed with a muffled whine.

"Hey, you've got your own bed," Jay says, shoving Carlos towards it. "Don't hog mine."

Carlos grumbles something under his breath, but crosses to the bed anyway, digging under his pillow and retrieving a more worn out pair of short and a pale blue long sleeved shirt. Jay stands and crosses the room to turn off the TV, then on a whim, reaches over the dresser and grabs the small plastic box he'd shoved behind it. He'd stored the lighter he'd swiped earlier in their arrival inside it, as well as a few stray cigarettes he'd collected both from the Isle and from here. He flicks his thumb a few times to spark the flame and is all set to light up when his eyes land on the letters carved into the side of the glossy red device.

"Son of a bitch," he hisses, nearly dropping it in the process. "Of- _fucking_ -course!"

"Jjay?" Carlos asks cautiously, and Jay turns to see the younger boy sitting on the floor beside his bed, knees drawn to his chest and back against the mattress.

And Jay can't do this…he doesn't know how to do any of this. _Good_ , don't be good, but behave yourself and lie and cheat and steal and _beg_ and _hands_ and….he grits his jaw tight and hisses in a sharp breath before letting it out again.

"It's nothing," he mutters quickly, holding up the lighter and his barely smoldering cigarette. "Was trying to relax and smoke for a bit but I guess that's just one more thing Auradon's ruining for me."

"Huh?" Carlos hums, his brow furrowing as he unfolds himself just a bit.

"Aziz," Jay grimaces in disgust, glancing down again at the name on the lighter. "Offered me some cigarettes a few days ago and we smoked behind the school. I had already found his lighter and figured I'd take the rest of the cigarettes to make it even." He shakes his head, scoffing harshly. "A fag from a fag, who'd have thought?"

Carlos frowns, his eyes dark and unreadable, and Jay starts to debate the best way to do damage control when Carlos suddenly sits upright and holds out a hand.

"G-g-give," he says jerkily, his eyes still dark despite his childlike demand.

"What?" Jay says, blinking at the strange expression on the boy's face. "The cigarettes?"

Carlos huffs through his nose and glares, and Jay holds up his other hand. "The lighter, you mean?"

Carlos nods once, then shakes his open hand pointedly. "G-give," he says again, a little more insistently, and after a moment, Jay shrugs and tosses it over.

Carlos, surprisingly, manages to catch it, and his hard look melts into satisfaction, and then relief.

"What are you thinking?" Jay asks, as he grinds the cigarettes between his palms before tossing them in the small trash can under the table.

"I n-needed a tiny gear," Carlos says, staring at the lighter a moment longer before tugging his kit from under the bed and storing the lighter carefully inside.

"Ok," Jay drawls, wondering if he would get any more explanation. He doesn't, and Carlos returns to his previous position and he finds himself wishing he had more to do. More space, more freedom; a secret hideaway on top of the tower that's much better suited for…whatever this is.

"Chchchad was there," Carlos says suddenly, and Jay pauses mid-step to glance over the edge of the bed at him. The other boy doesn't look up at him, but he doesn't retreat either, which is some sort of a plus. At least he'd dragged himself away enough from….

"Yeah," Jay says cautiously, not sure how to play it and still not sure how he feels about the asshole. Well, considering he'd just thought of him as an asshole, still not great. "Any idea why?"

"I think...," Carlos begins, before blinking suddenly, his eyes flicking up to meet Jay's. "Nothing, I do-don't know. S'laten'yway…be-bed?"

He slurs the last of his words, though whether it's intentional or just genuinely due to tiredness, Jay can't be sure. Only that it's definitely one in the morning and they definitely are still in Auradon and so for the time being, can't afford not to play by the rules.

"Yeah…bed," Jay concedes, climbing over the heavier sheets he'd shoved to the foot of the bed and shifting into a comfortable position. He clicks off the lamp and effectively bathes the room in darkness and it's only then that he realizes Carlos still isn't in his bed.

"Los," Jay sighs to the darkness. "You still don't like the bed?"

Carlos says nothing, but Jay hears him shuffle below him. "I l-like the floor better," he mumbles, but Jay hears the smooth sliding of fabric and a weight sliding off his own bed, and imagines that Carlos must have stolen one of his thicker sheets. He'll let it go, for now. And hopefully it will help the other boy sleep easier.

"We-we-we sshouldn't leave Evie alone."

Or not.

* * *

 **Carlos**

He can't go to sleep. The room is quiet, he knows this. Safe. Secure. (He'd checked the lock on the door and the ones on their window. Plus they were too high up for anyone from Auradon to climb to.) All of his belongings are exactly where he'd put them, including Aziz's lighter. (He'd checked that, too, while Jay had been in the bathroom. It had still been slightly warm, and Carlos imagined Aziz flicking it open with familiarity; traced his fingers over the ever so slightly there difference in the smoothness of the glossy surface that indicated just how well-used it was.) They'd even checked on Evie, after Carlos had insisted. Which, admittedly had been a good call as the other girl had still seemed shaken from everything earlier, and had needed their company more than she would ever be willing to admit.

Everything was fine. But he couldn't go to sleep. Didn't dare close his eyes longer than it took to blink, and he only blinked when he heard Jay exhale in one…slow…steady…breath. Carlos could feel his arm starting to get numb from the way he lay on it, but he didn't dare turn over. Jay had insisted on taking the bed closest to the door, so Carlos had the further bed tucked closer to the wall. Which meant that if he rolled over he wouldn't be able to see Jay, and he _needed_ to be able to see Jay… _needed_ to stay awake.

Jay was asleep. Mal was most likely not asleep, but they'd made sure that Evie had been and that her room was secure before leaving her for the night. But Jay was asleep and that would have been fine except...Jay was asleep on his back. Carlos had seen Jay sleep in all kinds of weird positions back on the Isle; from completely upright on his feet to even halfway upside down in the rafters once. But Jay never intentionally slept on his back, for the very reason that Carlos lay awake for now.

A small tremor had started to work its way up Jay's arm. He was still asleep, and his breathing was steady, but Carlos sits upright instantly, pressing his back against the side of his bed, eyes wide and alert. He waits, hardly daring to breathe for fear of speeding up the inevitable. Jay's breath catches as a moan in his throat a moment later, and his whole body trembles as though under some kind of pressure that was impossible to lift.

Carlos shoots to his feet, his heart pounding frantically in his ears as he inches towards the side of the other boy's bed.

"Jay," he croaks out, not too loud, but enough to be heard. "Jay. Wake up."

Jay doesn't wake up, but Carlos doesn't need him to. Just needs to make sure Jay can hear his voice, just wait long enough to be able to work him onto his side. After that, Jay would take care of the rest. At least, that's what Carlos tried to tell himself as he fought his own shaking, clenching his fists and working his mouth again.

"Jay," he says again, grateful that for once he was able to keep his voice under control. "It's Ca-carlos. You're in Auradon. Wake u-up."

Jay groans, his jaw clenching so tightly that Carlos can see the muscles straining in his neck. He glances towards the window and realizes that it's approaching sunrise, the sky only just starting to transition from that deeper blue of early morning. Carlos takes another shaky step closer, but he keeps his hands by his sides. If he touches Jay now, it would be disastrous. He'd only ever seen Jay truly panic once, and he wasn't about to go through something like that again. Carlos was enough, he didn't need Jay breaking too.

"Wake up, Jay," he says again, biting back a wince as the other boy starts to thrash harder under the invisible weight.

Jay whimpers, and the sound pulls at Carlos' own fears, but he forces himself to focus on his friend instead. Jay was more important than him right now. Well, most of the time, actually, but right now, Carlos couldn't be a screw up. The whimper builds, low in Jay's chest, and Carlos tenses, readying for the next part and ignoring the lump in his own throat; the prickle at the back of his eyes at seeing Jay in so much pain. He had to be ready for...

Jay's back arches against the bed suddenly, his mouth opening in a broken sob and Carlos acts, ignoring the voice shouting in the back of his head (what are you doing you're going to get yourself killed you're just making it worse how are you so stupid) and places his hands flat against Jay's back and side and pushes. Jay stiffens instantly at the contact and lets out a strangled scream that shoots down Carlos' spine like a bolt of electricity, but he doesn't stop shoving until Jay is on his side. And then he has to act fast because of the punch that Jay blindly throws his way.

Carlos knows he hasn't dodged in time when it connects with the side of his chin, and he feels his jaw click painfully shut as he stumbles away, dazed. (Stupid) the voice chides with a sneer. (Told you shouldn't have bothered good for nothing deserved that deserved that deserve worse so unhelpful) He presses his hand firmly against the throbbing in his jaw and will the pain away as he blinks up at Jay, who was panting hard on his side, his eyes open and staring without seeing.

"Jay," Carlos says carefully, and he watches the awareness trickle back into the other boy's expression, a slow shudder working its way through his body.

"Auradon," Jay mutters, flopping against his pillow and rubbing his face hard. "I'm in Auradon."

"Jay?"

Jay jerks like he'd been struck and instantly lowers his hands, his eyes frantic as he searches for Carlos. Carlos quickly lowers his hand from his face and slowly lifts himself up from the floor to sit on the side of his own bed.

"Carlos," Jay breathes, relieved, his eyes closing briefly before opening again and scanning his face. "I didn't…?"

Carlos shakes his head quickly, and it makes his head hurt and his jaw throb again, but he ignores it. "N-no," he blurts immediately, trying for a smile. "No, it's ok. I'm ok, you didn't hhhurt me."

The lie sticks even more than usual in his throat, but it relieves Jay, and that's all that matters. The older boy slumps weakly back into his bed, and Carlos cautiously follows suit, blinking a moment in surprise as he tugs the blanket over his legs. It's…warm. Not at all what he'd expected. It's all still too soft, overwhelming his senses after being so used to nothing but rough, scratchy and hard, but it's not quite as bad as the first night. The pillows help a bit, too; they cushion his head, but he doesn't sink into them like he does with the mattress. They provide the firmness that he needs, and he focuses on that to try and re-center himself.

"Stupid," Jay mutters beside him, and Carlos looks over at the tremor that's still audible in the other boy's voice. "Fucking…perverted… _faggots._ "

"Jay?" Carlos questions softly, biting his lip at the insults. "You-you-you ok?"

"Just peachy, 'Los," Jay's voice drawls back at him, more breath than actual words.

"You wanna talk abou-about it?"

"No," Jay snaps, suddenly much more coherent.

"You ssure?" Carlos asks, nestling just a bit further against his pillow.

"Yeah," Jay says, voice tight. "I'm sure."

"Jay…"

"I'm sure, Carlos."

"O-Ok."

Jay sighs heavily, and Carlos watches his silhouette stretch carefully and cover his face with an arm.

"What time is it, anyway?" Jay grumbles, and Carlos squints at the clock on the bedside table.

"Fi-fi-five o clock," he whispers back, and Jay sighs again.

"Shit," Jay hisses. "We only have two hours till we have to get up."

Carlos shrugs and curls up further under his blanket. He didn't care about that. He just wanted to make sure Jay was ok. And maybe figure out how to smuggle his blanket back onto the Isle.

"We could wa-wa-watch another of those car mmmovies?" Carlos tries again. "WhWhat's it called? Quick and angry or sssomething like-"

"Jafar sold me."

Carlos freezes, all his thoughts flying out of his head at those three words. There are so many emotions in Jay's voice, despite how hard it is, and Carlos has to take a moment to try and sort through them, and sort through his own so he didn't screw this up.

"What?"

"Back on the Isle," Jay clarifies unnecessarily. "I was eleven. He owed some…I say some," he scoffs bitterly, and Carlos bites his lip again to keep quiet. "It was more than 'some.' Enough that he was basically a dead man if he didn't pay it."

Silence for a moment, as Jay takes a shaky breath, and Carlos wants to tug the blanket completely over his head to try and muffle the sound; to shut out that shakiness; shut out the idea of a Jay that wasn't 100% confident and certain. He wants to, but instead he pulls the blanket down, letting a little of the cold in to jolt him further awake. If Jay was baring this part of himself when he didn't have to; when it was clearly painful and uncomfortable, then who was Carlos to be comfortable?

"Instead of paying it, he had the bright idea to send me to get rid of the problem."

"Bu-bu-bu-but you were ele-leven," Carlos protests meekly, a chill settling into him that had nothing to do with the lack of blanket.

Jay spits a curse in Arabic with such venom that Carlos thinks he doesn't really want to know the translation. "I'd already successfully killed two people by the point," Jay laughs, but there's no humor there. "Including that shopkeeper at nine, not to mention all the poisons."

Carlos nods to himself, suddenly understanding how everyone in Auradon thought them dangerous.

"Ssso you killed him?" Carlos guesses, half hoping that he was right, that this story wasn't going where he knew that it was.

"It turns out this guy was pretty well known in certain circles of the Isle," Jay continues, his voice darkening further. "'The Persian.' That's all he was ever called; no one ever knew his real name, or where he was actually from. It just stuck. Honestly, what Jafar thought I could have done against him, I don't fucking know. Only that it wasn't worth the slit throat I got for trying."

"Th-the scar," Carlos murmurs, horrified at the realization. "The one ac-cross your chchchchest."

"He didn't want me dead," Jay says, his voice closer to a whisper now, like he was choking on the words. "Because he thought…he thought I…was… _pretty_."

"Jay," Carlos says quickly, sitting up sharply in his bed and trying to catch the other boy's eye.

Jay's arm was still draped over his face, his lips twitching in what could have been taken for amusement if it weren't for the absolute disgust that Carlos could hear in his voice.

"Jafar realized he wasn't going to be able to weasel his way out of paying," Jay continues, ignoring Carlos' attempt to stop him. "So he made a deal instead. I woke up a few days later to Jafar sobbing over me, apologizing like a fucking coward. I didn't understand why until I saw the Persian standing in the doorway."

"Jay," Carlos says again, helpless against the painful torrent of words; horrified at what Jay had gone through.

"I was with him for two weeks," Jay says, his voice thick and choked with the emotion he'd been trying to subdue. "I was…his…in every sense of the word…for two. Weeks."

Carlos finds himself blinking rapidly as Jay sniffs suddenly, and it occurs to him that maybe he hadn't had the worst villain parent.

"This was uh, back when it was just me and Mal," Jay continues, a bit more composed, though his voice is still too thick for Carlos to truly believe it. "I still don't know how, or when or…but she found out."

Carlos tenses, bracing for Jay's next words. Whatever it is, he knows Mal and there's no way she would have reacted well to….

"A few weeks later, word spread around the Isle that the Persian was dead," Jay finally continues, and the room is light enough now that Carlos can see the grim smile on his face; just make out the vindictive look in his eye as he lowers his arm. "Poisoned; one of the real nasty ones, too. He'd basically burned alive from the inside out."

"I…I hhhad no-no idea that happened, Jay," Carlos says slowly, shaking his head and trying to figure out if it would be safe to offer some kind of comfort. "I'm…sorry."

Jay snorts, and Carlos glances over again in time to see Jay shrug briefly. "Yeah, well. It's mostly over, anyway, so. It's fine."

"M-mostly?" Carlos repeats, brow furrowing as he sits up enough to really catch Jay's eyes.

"Auradon still has that going against them," Jay replies, his tone darkening once more, his jaw tight as he glares at nothing in particular. "Letting all those perverts run loose and calling it 'love.'"

Carlos flinches in spite of himself at the venom in Jay's words, picking anxiously at the sheets as he comes to a sudden (and far too painful) conclusion.

"I-i-is that whu-why you hated me? Ba-back then?" he forces himself to ask. "Back when we-ee…when I…."

"Back when you thought you liked guys?" Jay finishes. "When you thought you liked me?" And even though Carlos doesn't hear that hatred now, he still flinches again, ducking his head in embarrassment.

It wasn't a thought, Carlos thinks, not quite sure if it's bitterness or pain or fear that he's feeling. It might have been a stupid crush then but I knew. I…I still know.

"Relax, 'Los," Jay says, far too easily for all that he had just said. All that he would continue to say. "I didn't hate you then, and I don't hate you now. We were kids. You were just confused. Plus I mean, let's honest. No one can resist this face."

Jay grins dazzlingly, and Carlos chucks his pillow as hard as he can at the other boy's face. Jay laughs, throwing the pillow back and it's a good sound to hear, after all that had just come before. But it hurts all the same, and Carlos thinks that maybe there are some things that even Auradon just can't fix.

* * *

Carlos doesn't know how he survives the morning, to be honest. Breakfast had been quick, tense, and quiet, tucked away in the infirmary with Mal. Apparently, Mal had reported in grim, worried tones, someone was arriving in Auradon later that wanted to see them. The Fairy Godmother had called them in for 'support,' but the idea wasn't one that any of them wanted to entertain for long.

Goodness Lessons had been dull, though he thinks maybe that might be because he'd fallen asleep partway through, and woken up propped up against Jay with Fairy Godmother still droning on about 'chivalry.' He'd been quick to scoot away, spluttering a hasty apology in Jay's direction, but Jay had also been too tired to really care, which Carlos thinks is the only reason he'd escaped unscathed. Well, aside from his sore jaw. It hadn't bruised, thankfully, but it still ached, and Carlos had to refrain from rubbing at it during the day.

All in all, the day had been going…normally, for once. Until Biology, of course. Kropp hadn't lashed out, though he did spend most of the class glaring smugly in Carlos and Jay's general direction. Carlos had heard from Ben about a staff meeting that had taken place, where Kropp had vehemently argued against them- which wasn't a surprise, really- but it certainly did him no favors regarding his dislike of the man. Or his resolve to just try and get through this with his head down. Except….

"And just where do you think you're going, Mr. de Vil?"

Carlos pauses in the entrance, glancing desperately for Jay, who had disappeared in the chaos of the hallway rush. Kropp's voice is even more smug than his glare, and Carlos turns slowly around to face the man, intentionally keeping his bag between them. If things went south, he could use it as a shield. Or a weapon, if really necessary.

"Cla-class is over," Carlos answers carefully, thinking over each word as hard as he can to avoid slipping up. "I'm going to ssst-ssst-u- Fairy Ggodmother," he forces out, reddening slightly as the word sticks. "Free period with Fairy Godmother."

It was the closest he could get to 'study hall,' though he bitterly thinks that it's such a stupid thing to trip over, compared to other words.

"I think not," Kropp sneers at him, and Carlos falters minutely, his bag inching down his arm. "You have a detention to serve with me, Mr. de Vil. Or did you think that the rules somehow didn't apply to you anymore just because you were being returned to the Isle?"

'Returned,' Carlos thinks, flinching slightly at the man's scathing tone. Like they'd been a faulty product; like Auradon had gotten its use from them and they weren't serving their purpose anymore. And then the rest of the words connect in his brain, and he pales, frozen in the doorway.

"Y-you…I…I don't...," Carlos swallows quickly, fidgeting as Kropp glares even harder at his stuttering. "Dete-dete-detention?" He finishes weakly, and the corner of Kropp's lips twitch upwards. It's not a nice gesture.

"Yes, Mr. de Vil," he repeats, sounding far too happy for the situation. "Detention. Half an hour, in place of your 'free period,' to make up for all the trouble you cause me in class."

"It was o-one class," Carlos mutters without thinking, feeling his own features twist with anger.

"I beg your pardon?"

He blinks, glancing up to see that Kropp's hands had clenched into fists, and Carlos stiffens instinctively, tucking into himself in an attempt to look small.

"I-i-it was one class," he repeats quietly, forcing his tone to remain blank. "I ans-answered your qqqquestion."

"You disrespected me in front of the class," Kropp bites out harshly. "I don't know what passes for _discipline_ over on the _Isle_ , but here in _Auradon_ there are consequences for our actions. So. Detention. Half an hour, starting now. Perhaps we can be productive and work on your little…problem with authority."

Carlos is shaking with suppressed anger and fear by the end of Kropp's speech, his bag clattering to the floor at his feet the only thing that jolts him out of his frozen state. He knows exactly what Kropp is trying to do- is going to do- and it only serves to terrify him. It takes too long for him to cross the room and sit in the seat closest to the front of the room. Kropp seems surprised to see him sitting there, but it's basic self-preservation. At least this way, no one has to chase him into a corner, and it's closest to the door. If he really needed to, he could shove his desk into the teacher and flee. It worked enough times on the Isle.

And it was only half an hour, Carlos tries to tell himself, as Kropp starts to write on the board. And it was Auradon. There's no way this could actually resemble anything on the Isle. Except, looking at Kropp, and the severe and yet self-righteous look on his face, Carlos finds himself second guessing that fact.

* * *

 **Jane**

Of all the ways that she'd encountered Carlos de Vil, being pinned beneath him with a row of lockers at her back and his scowling face in front of her was definitely one of her least favorite. She couldn't even entirely blame him for her current situation, as it had been entirely her own fault.

It had started, as most of Jane's days went, with breakfast, during which the VKs had been strangely absent. Well, not exactly strange, really, given the recent circumstance. But what had been strange was just how disappointed it seemed to make everyone; Lonnie and Chad in particular had seemed especially bothered by the lack of VKs, though Ben had simply slumped into his seat and refused to talk. After idly pushing his eggs around his plate, he's declared himself not hungry and abruptly left, Audrey and Chad following not too far behind.

Jane hadn't seen either of the three if them for the rest of that morning, although their schedules didn't often mix what with their age difference and Ben being the future king. But still, it had all served to further agitate Jane, who had been (foolishly, she knew) hoping for some kind of peaceful resolution. A part of her knows though that the time for wishing things better was definitely over, and any progress or happy endings were going to have to be worked for.

And so when Carlos doesn't show up for the afternoon study hall, it's all the catalyst Jane needs. She'd been sent (self volunteered, really) to find out where he was, and where he'd been.

'Gently, though, dear,' her mother had cautioned nervously. 'Don't make it seem like you're confronting him. You only wanted to make sure he was ok.'

Carlos is not ok, Jane thinks, trying to hide her more than mild terror at the glare he's giving her. Inhuman is the only thing she can think at the wide eyes; the sharp jaw; the curled lips and snarling teeth. He doesn't seem to fully process his actions though, as he's restraining her, but not as forcefully as Jane thinks (and regrets thinking) he must he capable of. The tension in his body is wrong, like he wants nothing more than to run and hide, but something else is telling him to attack instead.

"Hi, Carlos," Jane says carefully, not sure whether a smile would make this better or worse. "This is an interesting way to say hello. I feel like I just saw you yesterday."

It's almost what that tension feels like, too; like he'd seen her for the first time in a long time and rushed to greet her. Jane knows that it's wrong though, knows that in some capacity she is in danger right now, trapped with an unpredictable and violent VK. But she also knows that this is Carlos, and of all the things he /would/ do, attacking her is certainly the last of those. Unless that's just the wishful thinking talking.

"Um, I get that something is wrong, at least, I think there must be, right?" Jane continues nervously, suddenly aware of the pressure with which he held her arm. If he truly felt that she was a threat, he could very easily break it like that. "But there's better ways to express that, Carlos. You could just tell me."

Carlos doesn't react visibly to her words, but the sound of her voice registers somewhere as his body relaxes minutely, his hands releasing their grip. Jane tries for that smile, and a moment later, Carlos blinks, and the danger is banished only to be replaced with something else entirely. His eyes widen and his breath catches in his throat as he backs quickly away from her, glancing in terror from his hands and back to her. Jane recognizes the fear for what it is, and moves quickly to reassure him.

"No, no, it's ok!" She says, holding out her own hand to him slowly. "I'm fine, Carlos. We're both fine."

He shakes his head, his face flying through too many expressions for Jane to interpret. Only that he's far too works up to be calm, and she needs him to be calm if there's going to be any chance at answers.

"Breathe, Carlos," she says slowly, her voice calm if not her racing heart. "Just take a breath for me, ok?"

He nods once and swallows, drawing a shaky breath, his shoulders rising and falling in an exaggerated gesture. It's like he was physically forcing himself to relax, but it serves its purpose as the Carlos that looks back at her now is much more subdued; more like the cautious, wary Carlos she'd met back in the workshop. Jane takes a moment to draw another steadying breath of her own, quickly scanning the hallway. They were in a secluded hallway just off the 'academic' side of the school, somewhere between the 'math/science' and the 'arts/crafts' wings, as they were nick named by the students. Exactly where she'd found him wandering in a sort of daze, one hand on the wall as he shifted anxiously back and forth. Jane had assumed he'd gotten lost and had bounced forward ready to tease him, but when she'd tapped his shoulder...

"So what happened, Carlos?" Jane asks, turning back to him. "You know the knights can tell you where to go, so how'd you get stuck here?"

Carlos bites his lip, his brow furrowing in what Jane thinks might be worry, but which she realizes after a moment is actually fear. He slowly sucks in a breath to answer, but then closes his mouth tight, ducking his head and shrugging once. The motion is stiff and equally tight, like he's in pain, and Jane ducks her own head to try and meet his eyes, scanning for clues to his behavior.

"You missed study hall," she says, being sure not to sound accusing as she eyes him. "Mom was worried about you. Well, I was too. Am." She amends quickly, blushing slightly.

Carlos winces, and seems to shrink a little further, but no words come out when he works his lips. Jane cocks her head at him, trying not to feel offended but only succeeding so much.

"What, is this a 'no talking' day for you?" She means it more as a light hearted sort of thing, but then it occurs to her that yes, she really had just insulted him.

"I'm sorry!" She gasps, mortified at herself. "I didn't mean it like that I swear! I know it's hard for-"

But then she stops, because Carlos had stiffened significantly, his jaw locked so tight it was like he was fighting to physically keep the words in. The fear and pain flicker through his eyes again before he can hide it, and Jane feels a horrifying sensation of dizziness as she makes a sudden connection.

"Carlos," she says slowly. "Did...did someone...were you _hurt_ for talking? Back on the Isle?"

'Not a word,' his posture seems to scream, as he backs himself as far as the walls will allow, shaking his head and clenching jaw every time his mouth tried to open. 'Not a single word.' And of course it makes horrifying sense, how unwilling or even unable he seemed to be to speak when he's first arrived. If he was hurt or punished for stuttering or even talking at all then...but then Jane catches the way his eyes flicker towards the opposite hallway; the way he'd tensed as though expecting something. Or...someone?

It's not a possibility Jane wants to entertain, because this is Auradon and nothing like that could possibly happen here. No one would dare. But Jane finds herself working up the courage and asking because has to she has to know.

"Carlos," she says slowly, dread filling her stomach. "Did somebody _here_ hurt you for talking?"

Instantly Carlos stops, his expression clearing completely into something blank and unreadable. But Jane feels tears sting the backs of her eyes because he thought he was revealing nothing but he might as well have said yes out loud. She wants to feel angry, and a part of her definitely does but all she can register right now is pain.

"Right," she manages, clearing her throat and forcing her tone to remain calm. Collected, like her mom. "So, not a talking kind of day. Got it."

Carlos falters, like he hadn't expected her to remain calm, and Jane nearly starts crying all over again. Instead she smiles, hating herself for it. But it makes Carlos relax again, and take a small step towards her. Her smile turns a bit more genuine at the edges, though her thoughts are still racing. Someone had hurt Carlos for talking because of his stutter. Someone here in Auradon had done the same thing and it couldn't have been a student because of the timing; everyone would have been in some kind of class and the only person with that kind of power and authority to even _try_ something like that is a teacher which means that a _teacher_ had hurt Carlos and teachers were supposed to protect and encourage their students not hurt them because this wasn't the Isle!

Jane swallows hard and wrenches herself with difficult back into the moment. Carlos is staring at her cautiously, his brow furrowed again but this time in worry.

"I'm ok," she manages jerkily. "Like I said, we were worried about you."

He winces slightly, pressing his lips together and bringing his left hand up towards his chest. Before he can complete, or even really start the sign, Carlos jerks like he'd been stung, and quickly drops his hand back to his side, grimacing sharply. And that's when the anger hits Jane so hard she very nearly shrieks a filthy word. She thinks it instead, and subdues her reaction but the anger boils inside because not only did they rob Carlos of his speech, but they apparently hadn't let him sign either.

"You don't have to be sorry, Carlos," she says. "I'm guessing that's what you were aiming for."

Carlos blinks, seeming surprised, and Jane lets herself laugh.

"I do know a little bit of sign," she says, then she gets an idea and quickly goes with it, talking a bit faster, letting her hands flow through the signs as she goes. "Just a little bit, simple things like yes, please, no, more, food, oh! And colors!"

Jane draws breath just long enough grin at the mystified expression on his face before continuing. "I love signing the colors, they're so funny! What's your favorite color, Carlos?"

Carlos smiles, catching onto her enthusiasm and signs; bringing his index finger to his mouth and making a gesture like he was stroking his lips.

"Red?" Jane translates, chuckling a little. "Of course. It makes sense given your shirt."

Carlos frowns, glancing idly at his long sleeved, red shirt. Then he realizes what he'd done -what Jane had done- and snaps his head up in a glare.

"You can sign, you know," Jane tries. "I don't know everything, but enough that I could understand you."

Carlos continues to glare at her, though he pauses to glance briefly over his shoulder, and Jane is set to resign herself to the painful silence when suddenly she remembers just where in the school they are. It's a long shot, but Carlos didn't have to talk to communicate, and if Jane had read correctly, there was one way he could still communicate without talking, and without stuttering.

"Wait," she cries, grabbing Carlos' hand a tugging him forward. "I have an idea!"

He freezes, jerking back, and Jane skids to a stop, wincing at the sudden jolt. She turns back to find him wide eyed and anxious? Fearful? It's nothing positive in his expression and Jane feels another pang of anger at whoever had dared to hurt him.

"You trust me, right, Carlos?"

It's a loaded question, and a loaded moment of silence as they stare at each other. And then, slowly, so Jane barely realizes it's happening, Carlos grabs her hand and squeezes.

"Ok then," Jane whispers, meeting his solemn gaze with her own. "Follow me."

* * *

"This, Carlos," Jane announces as she shoves open the giant doors. "This is the room where it happens."

He frowns at her, furrowing his brows. 'What happens?' His eyes seem to say, and Jane grins, leaning in conspiratorially.

"Magic," she whispers, before pulling away and giggles self consciously. "It's the Auradon Theatre Department," she explains. "We're still working on a special name but believe me, it's a special place."

Carlos stares out at the auditorium and the stage with wonder, and Jane is all set to burst into song with excitement. But someone else starts humming first, and she pales as she recognizes the jaunty piano tune that echoes from the direction of the stage.

"...oh um, how about I show you backstage?" Jane squeaks, desperate to get Carlos away before-

"Cruella de Vil, Cruella de Vil! If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will..." A young baritone voice rumbles, blissfully unaware of their presence. "To see her is to take a sudden chi-ill! Look out for Cruella de Vil!"

The piano slide through a few notes before repeating the tune for the main verse, but the boy falters, fumbling for the words. "The uh...da da da dum...the ice in her stare..."

"Really, Richard?" The piano stops, and Jane recognizes the drawling voice of Amy. "How do you still not the words?"

"Oh I'm sorry, Amelia," Richard snaps, flinging his arms up. "Perhaps you'd like to come and sing it instead, and I'll play the piano."

"Carlos, we should go," Jane mutters, fumbling for his hand while backing toward the door.

"I kn-know that ssssong," Carlos whispers back, and as thrilled as Jane is to hear him speak, to share the theatre with him, she doesn't want to be witness to whatever act of violence that is sure to come.

"Don't be a prat," Amy hisses, standing from the piano stool. "We both know you hate the piano."

"Then don't try and tell me how to sing," Richard snipes.

"Fine!" Amy huffs, flopping back down onto the stool and starting the riff again. "It's starts 'the curl'..."

"The curl of her lip, the ice in her stare, all innocent children had better beware! She's like a spider waiting for the ki-ill. Cruella...Cruella de Vil!"

"Carlos?" Jane doesn't know whether to feel proud, amused or shocked. It's something of all three, as Carlos blushes, but continues singing, stepping forward as Amy quickly leaps back into the song on the piano.

"At first you think Cruella is a devil, but after time has worn away the shock, you come to realize you've seen her kind of eyes, watching you from underneath a rock!" Carlos performs his way through the lines as he sings, miming looking over his shoulder before appearing shocked, and Jane chuckles softly at him.

"I didn't think you'd be so ok with hearing that," she says, when he glances over at her questioningly.

"Ssshe-she-she always hated that ssong," he mumbles sheepishly, offering Jane a shy smile. "So I l-earned it."

"Um, excuse us?" Richard calls, shielding his eyes to glare at them through the stage lights. "This is a private rehearsal so..."

"Shut up, Richard," Amy scolds, lightly, standing from the bench again. "Hey Jane! You didn't tell us you were bringing a new theatre club member!"

"I was just showing him around," Jane hastily explains, at Carlos' anxious expression. "I didn't realize you guys were in here, sorry."

"You kidding?" Amy all but squeals. "Jane, tell me you're kidding! Richard, you heard his voice, right?"

"Yes, Amy, I did hear de Vil's voice," Richard dutifully replies, but if Jane didn't know any better she'd say he almost sounded impressed.

"We're keeping him, right?" Amy continues gleefully, bouncing slightly beside the piano. "Richard?"

"He only sang one song, though," the other boy mutters, running a hand through his auburn hair. "And I mean, he was pretty good for a vill-"

"Richard," Amy growls lowly, and the other boy sighs.

"Yeah, ok," he concedes, and Amy squeals so loudly that Jane and Carlos both wince from the center of the auditorium.

"Wait," Jane says, glancing to Carlos to see that he's barely following any of this, and she's no better off honestly. "Are you really-"

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this to you," Richard sighs, but when he looks at Carlos it's with begrudging respect. "Welcome to the Auradon Theatre Club, Carlos de Vil."

"Oh my gosh this is going to be awesome!" Amy crows, grinning wildly.

Carlos mirrors her gesture shyly, but Jane can feel the genuine happiness that radiates off of him, and she nudges him lightly. He blinks down at her, caught off guard, but smiles again when she laughs.

"If I had known that all it would take is singing your mom's song to get you to open up, I'd have dragged you to the theatre a lot sooner," she teases.

"If you try to turn my dog into a coat, though, we're going to have problems," Richard adds, but even he can't help smiling just a little, and Jane doubles over laughing as Carlos pouts in disappointment, and Richard splutters indignantly for all of five seconds before Carlos smiles mischievously and Richard scoffs, shaking his head.

Yeah, Jane thinks, as the twins starts explaining the process of the Auradon theatre club to an enthusiastic (and vocal) Carlos. A lot sooner.

* * *

 _[Unaddressed letter to Mr. Oscar, Isle of the Lost]_

 _Carlos._

 _It's been a while since my last letter, hasn't it? I'm still getting used to the time. You're probably wondering why these envelopes are addressed to Mr. Oscar, and why I didn't leave a name of my own. Well it's because I couldn't be sure that those stuffy Auradon bureaucrats…ahem…that the people in charge wouldn't read them first._

 _If whoever is reading this now happens to be one of those stuffy Auradon bureaucrats, or someone who is not Carlos, fuck you for invading the right to privacy._

 _But if you are Carlos, just ignore that word. You don't need to know what it means yet._

 _As for Oscar, well…I chose it for you, actually. I know, your mother will probably say something different. If she mentions me at all…does she?_

 _No, don't answer that. I've been enough of a selfish bastard for one lifetime. Sorry-selfish person. This is supposed to be about you now. So. Your name. Carlos Oscar de Vil. Picked it up from one of my favorite Authors, and finally became one myself, if you'll believe it. But telling stories stops being fun when you end up labelled a villain for it. It's all subjective crap anyway. I'm not there anymore anyway, and hopefully someday, you won't be either._

 _Until then._

 _P. S._

 _"The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future." - Oscar Wilde_


	26. Still here like a cheap threat

**Hey guys, long time no see. It's almost like it's been a whole year…I'm sorry. I'll stop now.**

 **Haha, but it has been a while hasn't it? I know and I have no excuses other than I am a master procrastinator and I suck as a human being. But here, have this extra long, extra angsty chapter to make up for it!**

 **Before that though, reviews and Author's Notes! **Please do not skip the Author's Notes! This chapter has some heavy shit that I want you to be properly warned about!****

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 **Reviews!**

 **StoryWriting1414: I'm really glad you got so excited about the chapter, and that you enjoyed it so much, haha. In answer to your questions, yes there will be a makeup happening at some point in the future, but it is going to take some time on both sides. As for the second question, let's just say…something like that. *devious smile* I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Descendants5HLM: Thank you, I appreciate your concern, but don't worry, I'm fine, just terrible at timing and way too good at procrastinating, lol.**

 **I'm really glad you're liking my dynamic with Ben, Chad and Audrey, since that was another thing I'd been trying to figure out how to play, and how to play sensitively, since love triangles are always tricky things. And I hate the trope with a fiery burning passion, so I had to be sure I was ruining it perfectly, lol.**

 **And wow did you just nail Evie perfectly. (and myself, honestly like shit, had to do some serious self-evaluating for a second there, ahem) But yes, her story is one that will be coming out (ha, swear I didn't even mean that pun) slowly, but I definitely plan on revealing everything in time. I plan on making it almost like the characters themselves; both Carlos and Mal are very reactive people, so anything involving them is kind of bang, in your face; Jay is honestly the most guarded and hard to take seriously at times and yet when it gets serious it gets serious; and then Evie does her best to put on the front but if you look it's very see-through and cracked. So yes, everything will be revealed in time, but it is going to be in time, haha.**

 **And yes, what is it with all the VKs running into their heroic counterparts? It's almost as if they're…up…to…something…. Lol, but yeah, I found out that Carlos actually likes his mom's song, and when he found out that she hated it, he would always it a point to hum it around the house when she was nearby to irritate her. Cheeky little brat.**

 **As for your questions, they will all be answered I promise, but let me keep my mysteries going for a little longer, okay? ;)**

 **Thank you, and I hope you had a Happy Holidays/New Year as well, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.**

 **Nyehhhhhh: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **Tiredandlazy: Hey! Sorry to make you worry with all my lack of updating. Everything is fine (ish) but I'm ok, just procrastinating heavily with everything…work, school (oh yeah, school for sure) and this…. But I'm back and I promise I'll do my best to stick to a regular schedule. (And maybe graduate college…yeah.)**

 **But anyway, yes, Auradon is finally getting some of their shit together, just in time for the VKs to lose their shit, lol. As for Carlos, a lot of it internalized homophobia/adopting the homophobia of the culture, so his journey is definitely not going to be an easy one. None of the VK's journeys, really, but anyway….**

 **As for Kropp, well, we get a nice (by nice I mean horrible) flashback about what went down during Carlos' detention, but regarding the revenge plot...would you hate me if I said you'll have to foam for another chapter? I had intended to put it in this chapter, but as I was writing, one of the VKs decided to have a breakdown instead, so I had to go and run with that. And make them suffer more- I mean comfort them….**

 **In regards to Mystery Daddy well, go and read that last letter again. I kind of totally let it slip. (unless you're not familiar with the character in which case, let me know if you don't get it and I'll PM you)**

 **Anyway, I hope you'll continue to read and review and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **EvietoyourMal: Aw, I'm really glad I helped to make your Thanksgiving with an update, lol. It's definitely going to be an interesting experience as I have no idea how true therapy works outside of the clichés, lol, and I've had a really fun time researching proper therapy techniques and the different kinds so I don't screw it up. ;) Anyway, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **BlueMoon007: I laughed out loud when I read your comment! Who needs family time on Thanksgiving, haha! I hope I didn't make yours to upset if you were reading this instead, lol. But I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, and yes, we actually do get a flashback of the detention, and I had to laugh because I'd written the scene, and then read your review and I was like, how'd they get a hold of my story? Predicted it before I even wrote it, geez.**

 **But I'm glad you're enjoying my story and I hope you will continue to do so!**

 **Slytherin: I'm a Ravenclaw myself, but I was _very_ close to Slytherin. I just call myself a Slytherclaw, and depending on who's asking I'll either say Slytherin or Ravenclaw in response, lol.**

 **Welcome to the story and thank you for your review! There will be more Bal, I swear, it's just very slow burn because I feel like Disney always rushes their 'true love' relationships so I'm trying to make it a little more realistic. ;)**

 **But in the mean time, I hope you will continue to read along and enjoy!**

 **slyside: A short review is better than no review, lol. Thanks for taking the time to let me know what you thought! Hope you continue to enjoy.**

 **Jewelz1642: Yes, musical theatre (and theatre in general) rocks and I just knew that I wanted at least one of the VKs to be a part of it. I plan on giving them all a special activity just for them, so yeah, Carlos got theatre and we will see what the others get up to.**

 **I'm glad you're enjoying and I hope will continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **Gracfully: I'm glad you liked it! :)**

 **Time Turner: I'm glad you thought that was funny, haha. It was one of my favorite parts too. Thanks for the review and I hope you'll continue to enjoy.**

 **Elizabeth Annette: Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! More is here, haha, and you'll find out soon enough what happens. ;) I hope you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **ticktocktack10: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I'm really glad you enjoy my story so much and that you think I'm doing such a good job. Hopefully you will continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

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 **Ok guys, Note time!**

 **Author's Note 1: I know, I've been gone for a really long time. I honestly don't even know what I was doing in that length of time…trying to write but stressing and procrastinating as a result of that stressing which just made me stress more and…you get the idea. I suck, and I'm sorry, and I can't guarantee I won't do it again, but I'll work really hard to make things work for you guys, I swear.**

 **This chapter is a bit of a mess, and by that I mean, emotionally. Though you tell me if you think it's a mess in other ways as I kinda do. I'd meant to include a few other things, but that got derailed when one of the characters decided to have a breakdown instead. Because of that, the ***WARNINGS*** for this chapter are as follows: Child abuse/neglect, the physical abuse of a student by a teacher, language, violence and threats of violence, threats of death/mildly gruesome descriptions of poisons, homophobia/homophobic slurs and abuse, mental health issues such as anger issues, anxiety/panic attacks/depression/therapy/therapists, as well as dealing with traumatic issues such as rape, child molestation and assault.**

 **It is a lot, but I did my best to handle these things with the respect and sensitivity they deserve.**

 *** ****This chapter may be triggering!*******

 ** **I can not stress this enough. Please heed the warnings and feel free to skip over or even just bypass this chapter if you feel you may be sensitive to the triggers. There are at least 3 panic/anxiety attacks and flashbacks, the latter of which may be particularly upsetting as the character in question loses their sense of self for a moment and may be triggering/disturbing. I know it was hard enough to write, so please, please, please, heed my warnings and read carefully and with respect!****

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 **Author's Note 2: Shorter, but just as important.**

 **Let's get a couple things straight: I am not, for one; and homophobic people suck, for the other. (Believe me, I know.)**

 **This story will deal rather heavily with same-sex relationships/couples, as well as the people (because let's be honest, they're more than just characters) who identify as LGBT and all the various things that that might/does entail. If you are not ok with the idea of same-sex relationships, or the idea of a certain character/any character(s) being attracted to the same sex, then please, feel free to find another story to read. I would much rather lose a follower than to have you stay and complain or spew hate/intolerance. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a bitch, but I just wanted to make it clear where I stood. If you don't like it, again, kindly feel free to stand somewhere else.**

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 **I love and appreciate all of the support that I've received for this story as well as the support I've received personally. It all means a lot to me and I wouldn't begin to be half of who I am without it, so thank you.**

 **I hope you will all enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

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 **Also, if anyone is interested, the songs that inspired this chapter are: 'Control' by Halsey, as well as 'Spanish Sahara' by Foals, and 'No Care' and 'Numbers' by Daughter.**

* * *

 ** _Kropp_**

There had been many students that had come through his classroom throughout the years, but none quiet so troublesome as Carlos de Vil. His years of teaching couldn't have prepared him for anything remotely _villainous_ ; all the young princes and princesses had cared about was managing enough of a grade to pass the class and nothing more. They had their whole lives…their whole kingdoms, even, laid out for them, so why should they care about a stupid Biology class?

It had been easier to make them care back in the days when teachers were allowed to discipline their students. That's what they all needed, Kropp had reasoned with a grumble. They were all too privileged, too needy. A firm hand and structured discipline was all it took to straighten them out. Especially Chad Charming. The boy had certainly been one of Kropp's tougher cases; unfocused and undisciplined and entirely too unsupervised. But once Kropp cracked down the young prince had sung an entirely different tune.

Those days, much to the teacher's chagrin, had been put to an end with the various shiftings of power that came with combining kingdoms and lifestyles. Capital punishment had been labelled as a form of abuse, and 'inappropriate in a place of compassion and learning.' It was their job to 'nurture' the students, or so it was told and believed by all of the faculty at Auradon Prep, and Kropp had had no choice but to tolerate the disorder of his students. He'd resigned himself to simpler strategies; speaking lowly in classes so when he raised his voice the effect was more jarring; cracking his ruler against the desk instead of student's hands and wrists.

Anything more severe than a corrective tap was discouraged in the school, except in cases where 'absolutely necessary.' Such as with 'a violent and/or disruptive student, for whom which all other methods of correction have been proven ineffective, and would otherwise cause harm or discomfort for other students/teacher.'

In short, for a student like Carlos de Vil.

The young villain had proven himself unruly and incredibly disruptive in class, and any and all of Kropp's attempts to regain control and respect had certainly been proven insufficient. And so it was that Kropp had argued for proper punishment to be meted out in the form of a detention, and now faced the boy in question feeling nothing short of grim satisfaction.

"Let's see how well you can follow instructions, Mr. de vil," Kropp sneered, reveling in the fact that the boy seemed almost nervous as he eyed the words the teacher had written on the whiteboard.

"Ssir?" de Vil said, and though Kropp was pleased at the respectful address, the added mocking syllable ruined the effect.

"You have a functioning brain, do you not, Mr. de Vil?" Kropp said, his scowl deepening as he glared at the boy.

De Vil glared right back, however, his eyes stony with disrespect and resentment. He said nothing, though his hands moved rapidly in a series of gestures that Kropp was fairly certain were nothing flattering.

"With _words_ , de Vil," Kropp snapped sharply, taking a few steps forward and gripping his ruler tightly in his fist. "You are not deaf or otherwise hard of hearing, and as you are fully capable of speech I expect you to _speak when you are spoken to._ Is that understood?"

It seemed to be, if the squaring of the young villain's shoulders were any indication. His dark eyes flashed and a smirk flickered at the corner of his lips as he responded.

"I said that m-m-my brain cccertainly seems to fu-function better than yyyours," de Vil said, a bold sort of challenge in the set of his jaw.

It was all that Kropp needed to act. His ruler was made of the non-shattering variety of plastic, which made it incredibly useful for when Kropp would become frustrated and bend it between his fingers. (It had taken many a broken ruler for a student to present it to him as a gift before they had graduated.) Now it served an entirely different purpose as in one swift motion his ruler whistled through the air to crack once, twice against the boy's cheek. Not hard enough to cause any significant damage, but his point had definitely been made if the startled wide eyes that stared back at him were any indication.

"Do I have your attention now, Mr. de Vil?" Kropp hissed lowly, and de Vil nodded slowly, his eyes flickering uncertainly. "You might have gotten away with behavior like this on the Isle, but this is Auradon, and this is _my classroom_ and I will not tolerate it anymore."

De Vil was entirely still, his eyes on the board over Kropp's shoulder, his face paling as if he'd suddenly realized what was happening.

"You have, as you yourself have said," Kropp continued vindictively. "A fully functioning brain, and so any 'slips of the tongue' are entirely voluntary and under your control."

"Th-th-th-that's not hhow it wwworks!" de Vil bit out hotly, his chair groaning as he stood rapidly, face flushed.

 **Thwack!** went the ruler, and this time Kropp could almost make out the imprint of the plastic as the blood rushed back out of the boy's face.

"Sit. Down," he growled, baring his teeth viciously. De Vil sat jerkily, his eyes darting to the classroom door, to the whiteboard, to the ruler in Kropp's hand. Never directly at him, the teacher noted with some frustration, but they had plenty of time to address that as well. "This is how it's going to 'work,' Mr. de Vil," Kropp said through gritted teeth. "You will repeat those words on the board, speaking _clearly_ , without any slips."

"And if I d-d-d-on't?"

Somehow the boy managed to maintain his sarcastic tone, though Kropp was quick to correct it.

"Do we understand each other, Mr. de Vil?"

The boy blinked hard, his jaw clenching and unclenching, his expression unreadable. It took a moment, but then he brought his hands up and started to move them around again in gestures. Kropp hissed a sharp breath before lashing out again, his ruler cracking firmly across de Vil's knuckles and abruptly halting his movements.

"With your words, Mr. de Vil," Kropp ground out.

Instead of answering, the boy turned his head, his eyes scanning over the whiteboard, pain and fear twisting his expression into something almost vicious. After a moment, de Vil stilled, his expression clearing, though his continued to reflect his turmoil.

"'I w-w-will not disresp-ect Mr. Kropp in ccccclass,'" the boy recited, his voice shaking but otherwise devoid of inflection.

A quick of smack of unbreakable plastic against skin; a noise of pain that catches and dies in a closed throat.

"Again."

"I w-will not dis-dis-dis-"

 **Crack!**

"Again."

"I will nnnnot-"

 ** _Thwa-crack!_**

"Again."

* * *

 **Mal**

It's Monday afternoon and Mal was more than fed up with the white walls of the infirmary. She understands how Jay had started making death threats only a few days into his stay. As it was, she'd outlasted him by nearly a day. She pauses at that thought, going back in her mind. Had it really been almost four days since the party? Four days…which meant that they'd been in Auradon for eight days…and they only had until Wednesday to enjoy it before they were sent back to the hell they had come from. (Or, at least, until the rest of the Auradon Council arrived, which was essentially, the same result.)

The thought of it alone has her so far on edge that when the Fairy Godmother enters the room later that afternoon, it takes all of Mal's self-control to refrain from throwing a chair at her.

"If you're not going to tell me that I'm free to go, then I strongly suggest walking back out the door," Mal growls, her teeth just as tightly clenched as her fingers around the bars of her bed.

The Fairy Godmother starts at her tone (or maybe it was her flashing eyes), but bravely remains in the room.

"Unfortunately, Mal," the woman says, somehow managing to look sympathetic instead of condescending, "You won't be leaving the infirmary just yet."

"Of course not," Mal mutters, her lips twisting bitterly as she sinks back into the bed. "Can't have the villain who attacked the King out and about among the good people of Auradon. Best to keep me where you can see me, right?"

The Fairy Godmother has the decency to wince, and Mal is grateful that at least the woman is trying. It was more than could be said for her mother. The only thing that Mal could count on when she returned to the Isle was a slow and brutal death.

"I can assure you Mal that we aren't keeping you here with the intent to harm you," the Fairy Godmother says, managing a smile that Mal could swear is almost devious. "And believe me when I tell you that I am more than capable and that if I'd truly been planning on harming you, you would know."

Mal lets out a surprised chuckle and grudgingly smiles back. "That's actually comforting," she admits, lifting a brow. "And impressive, if I'm being honest."

"Well," the Fairy Godmother says, waving it off dismissively. "There's no true cause for concern as those days are behind me. My wand is safely tucked away in the Auradon Museum of History, where it serves as a symbol for educational purposes."

 _Oh_. Mal all but leaps out of the bed at that bit of news. _Educational_ , _indeed_.

"Anyway dear, one of those visitors I told you about has just arrived and wanted to meet you." The Fairy Godmother's next words throw Mal so far of balance that she actually flinches, eyes wide as they register.

"Excuse me?" she manages after a moment, suddenly unsure how to play this.

"I'll be just outside," the woman says, as if that's supposed to be comforting. "And remember, no one wants to hurt you. We all have your best interests in mind."

"Yeah I've heard that before," Mal retorts, almost without thinking. "Usually right before the pain started."

Something in the Fairy Godmother's expression pinches, and that's all the indication Mal needs to realize that she'd spoken loud enough to be heard. Before she can try to correct or even play it off, someone knocks on the door, and Mal swallows as fear twists her stomach so hard she half imagines that it's her mother coming to punish her for her failures.

She doesn't realize that she's shaking until the door opens, and she sucks a sharp breath as a man enters the room. He's tall, and thin, but that doesn't do much as Mal reasons that he's still a _man_ and could very easily snap her in half if he so chose. Her magic is acting up again, she realizes dimly as she sits as far upright as she can, her body torn between wanting to run and wanting to retreat. She can feel the sickening tugging sensation in her gut; notes the hazy tinge of green that slithers weakly across the backs of her hands.

"Hello, Mal," the man says, and she flinches at his voice instinctively, eyes shooting to the bland hospital bedsheets. He sounds friendly enough- that light and easy 'Auradon' kind of friendly that's basically its own kind of accent- but she knows better than to trust it. To trust _him_.

"Hi," she says quietly, when the silence goes on long enough for her to realize she'd been meant to respond.

"It's nice to meet you," he continues smoothly, stepping further into the room. She thinks he might be smiling, and when she glances out of the corner of her eye it's confirmed. He's wearing glasses, and his hair is an interesting orange color, but that's as far as Mal let's herself examine because she'd just made eye contact and _shit_ if there hadn't been pain before there would be now.

She's cowering, a part of her registers- the part that is her mother hisses curses at her for daring to be so _weak_ , especially before a _man_ , but the part of her that has some sense of preservation also thinks that maybe she isn't cowering enough….

"Mal?"

Relief surges so strongly that Mal doesn't care how desperate she looks as her head snaps up and in the Fairy Godmother's direction. She was safe. The Fairy Godmother meant safe (though damned if Mal knew where that idea had come from- the woman wouldn't have lasted two seconds on the Isle with all her cheer).

"It's nice to meet you, too," Mal murmurs shakily, her eyes on the Fairy Godmother, though her head tilts in deference in the man's direction. If she stared intently enough, maybe she could convince the woman to stay.

"My name is Jeremiah," the man is saying, and it's only the fear of missing something important that makes Mal pay attention. "Though most people just call me 'Jiminy,' after my Uncle."

"Cricket?" Mal blurts without thinking, then freezes, cringing back against the bed. She was going to get herself _killed,_ Hades _damn_ her!

The man laughs softly, and she flinches. She's doing a lot of that, she knows, but she also knows that this is the most danger she's been in since coming to Auradon and she can't be left alone with him she can't!

"Yeah. But thankfully, the insect part of the genes skipped a generation. Well," he pauses, and Mal guesses it's for some sort of self-evaluation as he continues with: "for the most part. The height seems to have factored in to make up for it."

There's another pause, and Mal's mind races as she tries to figure out what's expected of her. Was she supposed to say something? Would it be speaking out of turn? Had he made a joke and she was supposed to laugh but didn't? When would he cut the stalling and just get to the pain already?

"You seem nervous, Mal," 'Jiminy' says, and Mal stiffens, panic cutting off her breath.

 _'You seem nervous, little girl.'_

"What was your first clue?" she snaps, then winces, biting her tongue so hard she tastes copper. It would be all she'd taste by the time he was done with her, she was sure, and her body screams with the agony of remembered pain; ghostly laughter ringing with each haunted mark.

"I can assure you that there's nothing to be afraid of."

 _'What's the matter? You scared?'_

"I have no intention of hurting you."

 _'Just close your eyes, I promise I'll go gentle. Hell, I might even let you enjoy it if you're good.'_

"Bella donna," Mal chokes out, her sudden loss of breath making the words barely more than a whisper. "Otherwise known as nightshade. It's berries are poisonous if ingested, though it's been used in some cases to dilate eyes in an attempt to appear attractive."

"…Interesting," someone murmurs, and Mal flinches but forces herself to continue, to focus on the facts, to remember how to _breathe_.

"Cyanide," she continues lowly, inhaling a little easier as she recites. "It can be extracted from the seeds and leaves of several plants, including but not limited to: apples, plums, peaches and apricots, and can be harvested easily by grinding the seeds with mortar and pestle."

"I don't…Mal? I don't understand-"

"Hemlock will paralyze the body," Mal cuts across the whisper in a much stronger tone, her eyes locking onto foreign pale blue ones. "The mind isn't affected though, meaning the victim is entirely aware until the respiratory system gets paralyzed too."

Breathing is easier, which is morbidly ironic, and the fact that she can tell that it's morbidly ironic reassures her far more than the sound of the Fairy Godmother's voice.

"Nicotine, arsenic, hemlock, cyanide, nightshade," Mal recites slowly, her head clearing with each poison.

"…grounding technique," the strange voice murmurs, and Mal blinks, realizing that she'd been glaring at Jiminy the entire time. "It's a rather disturbing subject, but effective, I would say."

Pain and terror threaten to well up again, but he's not shouting at her. Not moving or threatening…he'd actually…sat down? and was now staring at her as if she'd suggested they take a stroll through the school's gardens.

"And also, I think…a threat, eh?" he continues, his eyes strangely calm. "Letting me know that you're still dangerous?"

"Happy coincidence," Mal offers carefully, angling her gaze so she was avoiding directly staring. She was lucky he hadn't taken her stare as disrespectful, but she wasn't about to make that mistake again.

The Fairy Godmother makes a strangled sound (strychnine causes the muscles of the neck to clench, resulting in slow and painful asphyxiation), and Mal glances over to see the woman looks slightly nauseous.

"Well," she says shakily. "I'll let you two have some time to get acquainted. I'll…still be just outside if you need me, Mal."

And Mal thinks it's only that knowledge that keeps her from screaming as the woman quickly vanishes out the door. As it was, it's all she can do to contain her reaction as Jiminy shifts his weight in the chair. Instinct and panic override her attempts to remain neutral and she ends up flinching anyway. Thankfully, it's more a brief twitch than anything so obvious, and yet if the calculating look on his face is anything to go by, he'd noticed it anyway and she had to be smarter than this she couldn't be this _weak_ and if she were home…oh, if she were home….

"So, Mal," Jiminy speaks up, cutting across thoughts of her mother's harsh reminders of just how life worked on the Isle. "All your talk of poisons earlier had me intrigued…probably a bit too morbidly really, but." He shrugs, and Mal grits her teeth in anticipation of his raised hand. It doesn't come, but she doesn't relax, even when he continues speaking.

"I was just wondering," he says, his tone still too calculating to be 'curious,' "If you really were to poison me, which one would you use?"

"Cyanide," Mal answers without thinking, which, really she _really_ needed to start doing that! "You'd be dead in about a minute."

"An instant death," he repeats, but it's a low hum that colors his words. He's not angry. Yet. "I suppose that's smart…getting rid of the threat as soon as possible."

She swallows hard, her fingers gripping the edge of the sheet covering her. He was definitely not as relaxed as he tried to appear, given the scrutinizing way he was looking at her. This would be where the pain came in, she was sure of it.

"And you _do_ consider me a threat," he continues, still in that slow, even tone. "Even though I've repeatedly stated that my intentions were not to harm you, and I have yet to move out of my chair, or react in any way resembling violence."

He was…offended, maybe, and that was just as dangerous as angry. Mal cringes slightly, wondering if this was meant to be a cue for an apology from her and already anticipating what would happen when she refused to give it.

"All men are capable of violence," Mal retorts, flickering her eyes up just enough so he knew she was addressing him.

"That's true," he nods slowly, drawing one of his legs up to cross over the other. "Everyone has the potential for violence. And yet somehow, I don't think that's what you meant, is it, Mal?"

It's meant to be casual, she knows, but she also knows when she's being manipulated, and she chances a direct glare at the man to show such.

"What is this?" she snaps, her eyes flickering warily to the closed door and then back again. "You talk like the Isle, and yet you're from Auradon so what exactly do you want from me?"

"I…talk like the Isle?" She seems to have caught him off guard, if his sudden blink was any indication, and Mal latches onto her brief advantage while she can.

"Circles," she clarifies testily, shifting her gaze so she's even more direct in her glare. "You're twisting your words so I hear what I want to hear, and you hear what you want to, without ever truly saying what you really are. So," she finishes, allowing her eyes to spark with green for just a moment. "What. Do. You. Want."

She holds her breath but maintains her glare as Jiminy shifts his weight so both feet rest on the floor once more. Briefly, she realizes that holding her breath like this would only _prevent_ her from calling for help, but that would imply that she needed it and she didn't, she wasn't weak and if ( _if_ , she scoffs. She had) she'd spoken too far out of turn, she deserved and expected the consequences.

What she doesn't expect is for him to smile, a low chuckle slipping past his lips as he adjusts his glasses.

"This, really," he says, inclining his head to her. "Honesty, blunt and…brutal as it is. And, I take it, it _was_ brutal, wasn't it, Mal?"

Something in his gaze shifts then, a strange and terrifying sort of understanding that has Mal shuddering despite herself.

"You have no idea, do you?" she hisses lowly, her knuckles white but tinged with green as they clench and twist in the sheets.

"No," he replies, equally low. "I don't have _knowledge_ , not in the way you do. But I have an idea."

Mal snorts in response, though she quickly reigns in her open derision when Jiminy fixes her with a look.

"The incident in the garden that I've heard so much about," he begins, and it's Mal's turn to blink, caught off guard. "It wasn't quite as straightforward as attempted murder, as I'm meant to believe it. Given just how fiercely determined you seem to be, it's more likely that it started as a simple clash of ideals."

"You still don't get it," Mal counters, desperate to prove him wrong, to force him away, to get his _voice out of her head!_ "If I hadn't said…if I hadn't _done_ what I did…."

But he's still staring at her with that _look_ and she growls as her magic flares defensively inside her.

"You perceived that you were in danger," Jiminy picks up what she'd left unsaid. "Because, as you've put it, 'all men are capable of violence.' Rather specific, that. Though I suppose, understandable, given the environment that it surely must have come from."

"I love how everyone here keeps doing that," Mal says, her lips twisting bitterly as her eyes flicker briefly to meet his. "Using the past tense whenever they talk about us and the Isle; like suddenly being in Auradon means that it didn't happen, or that it just goes away completely or that it isn't _still happening_. Like, how right now, somewhere on the Isle, a little girl _isn't_ speaking out of turn to a _man_ , and isn't finding out the permanent way just what happens when she does something that stupid."

Jiminy's brows are up by his hair and she's _said too_ much she _knows_ she has and fuck if this wasn't exactly what she'd just been _saying_ and she deserves every bit of pain she was going to get for this.

"By 'the permanent way,' I assume you mean death," is all that he says, however, and Mal lets out a breathy noise that might be a laugh- no, _will be_ a laugh dammnit, because she couldn't afford it to be anything else.

"If she's lucky," Mal replies darkly. "Which, no one ever is on the Isle, so, no. No it probably won't be death, just…something worse."

"Is that why you attacked the King?" Jiminy asks, his voice suddenly soft, and no longer quite so calculating. "Because you were expecting…something worse?"

"Well," Mal says, raising her eyes just as high as the painful lift of her lips. "We're being sent back to the Isle so, you tell me."

Jiminy hums softly, shifting his weight slightly and Mal prides herself on managing not to flinch, this time. His eyes flare with a tight emotion that she can't identify as he tilts his head ever so slightly.

"You do raise good points, don't you Mal?" he murmurs, and Mal grits her jaw warily as she tilts her own head away from him, cutting her gaze so he's no longer in focus.

"Just trying to follow the Auradon way," she replies, as glibly as she can with his eyes directly on her. "You know, honesty and…goodness."

He laughs briefly, though it sounds more like an amused sort of scoff, and shifts his weight forward as he rises from his chair.

"Thank you," he says, and though his tone is light, it's sincere, as are his eyes. "For sharing with me. I look forward to meeting the rest of your group."

And as much as Mal notes his use of 'your group,' she also notes the 'look forward to meeting' part as well, and she jerks upright sharply, leveling him with a vicious glare.

"No!"

It's out of her mouth before she can stop it, but she can't back down now that she's issued the challenge; especially not when he turns back to face her.

"No?" he repeats, and Mal flinches hard in spite of herself. She hadn't been exaggerating her description of the consequences of speaking out of turn on the Isle, and not even the knowledge of the fact that this was Auradon, and that the Fairy Godmother was _right outside the door_ did anything to calm that terror.

"No," she repeats shakily, clenching and unclenching her jaw and steeling herself for the pain to come before continuing. "You're not going to 'meet' them. You're not going near them until I've figured out your game."

"Until you're sure I'm not a threat, you mean," Jiminy replies easily, and Mal growls softly under her breath in response. "I'm honestly both flattered and surprised that you still hold me in that regard, as anyone who knows me could tell you-"

"I don't know you," Mal cuts across him quickly, letting her eyes flash in place of her bravado. "And until I do, you're _not_ going near my crew."

"Until our next meeting then, Mal," Jiminy replies, inclining his head one more time to her with a smile before turning and opening the door; leaving Mal with a concerned looking Fairy Godmother, and a sinking sensation of not quite knowing what she'd gotten herself into.

* * *

 **Jay**

It takes Jay far too long to realize that Carlos isn't with him. Namely, it takes the whole of his 'Foundations of Auradon Algebra' class- which, really, they could have at least _tried_ to make it harder. Hilariously enough, math was one thing that Jay didn't have any trouble with. He'd had plenty of experience with numbers handling his father's finances and keeping stock of everything in the shop, so the longer string of numbers he'd faced in his text book and really just been like basic Isle life for him.

It's after class that he notes the lack of white haired villain beside him, and he pauses in the hallway and glares at the throng of students. He knows he doesn't really _need_ to worry; Carlos had a study hall anyway, and usually met up with him at some point after their two classes ended. The Fairy Godmother had probably just kept him a little later for some reason. Carlos would be at his locker and Jay could catch up with him there before they met up with Evie.

Carlos isn't at his locker, however, and Jay feels the familiar pang of worry as his instincts start screaming danger at him. It's not quite fear…he'd known Carlos to escape from all kinds of situations back on the Isle and it wasn't to the point of that yet. But Jay was definitely…concerned, and he raps his fist a little too hard against the closest knight, the metal creaking eerily beneath his fist.

"Where can I find Carlos de Vil?" Jay demands lowly of the knight, who creaks its visor open in such a way Jay would have thought it was _glaring_ at him.

"Carlos de Vil is currently in the Auradon Library, along with Jane and a few others. He is safe."

The kinght's voice seemed to shift with those last three words, a softer sort of creaking sound that Jay blinks at, startled.

"Are you…mocking me, or something?" he mutters at the knight, who creaks almost questioningly before answering.

"I don't understand."

"I mean," Jay grumbles, glancing quickly around to ensure no one was close enough to overhear this absurd conversation. "Did you just say that to try and make me feel better or…cuz I'm not worried!"

The knight's visor lifts further, and damn if Jay wasn't going to have to talk with Ben about how creepy and expressive the hunk of metal was.

"Not at all," the knight replies, its voice ringing slightly. "I merely stated that the young de Vil is currently safe, and in good company."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's…wait," Jay snaps, faltering as he takes in what the knight had said. "What do you mean 'currently safe'? Was he not safe before?"

"He is safe now," the knight repeats, almost sternly, if metal could truly be so emotive. "There is no longer cause for concern."

"Which basically means that there _was_ a cause for concern because he wasn't safe because…what was Carlos' last location?"

The knight's visor lifts with a low groan, but Jay doesn't care how annoyed or disturbed the damn thing was because he'd suddenly realized that Carlos couldn't have been with the Fairy Godmother because that woman was as safe as safe could get (although he wasn't sure how he'd gotten that idea). Which meant that if Carlos hadn't been safe then he had to have been-

"Carlos de Vil's last location was with Jane in the Auradon Theatre Department."

"O…k…," Jay drawls carefully, because he didn't know what the heck that was but he knew that that couldn't have been the issue. "And before that?"

"Before that," the knight seems to pause, as though thinking? Or maybe a reluctance to say? "Carlos de Vil was spending an unspecified free period in Classroom 277 with Mr. Kropp."

"Fuck."

"Mr. Jafarson…"

" _Fuck."_

"Mr. Jafarson-"

"Stop calling me that," Jay snaps, tugged from his furious (and definitely _worried_ ) thoughts. "It's so awkward. And annoying. It's just Jay. Or Jayden, but…." (But no, he thinks. Only Lonnie can…) "Just. Jay."

"Noted," the knight remarks. "Jay, I strongly urge you to head to the Auradon library. Carlos de Vil is safe and in good company on the second floor."

"Right," Jay mutters, closing his eyes briefly and vowing to talk with Ben about the strangely self-aware knights. "Yeah, I'll be doing that."

He waits a moment, just to see if the knight would have any comments to add, but silence is all he gets in response. Satisfied, and yet suddenly, definitely, _fearful_ , Jay sprints for the hallway, reading the signs as he goes to find the nearest elevator. The silver doors are just as off-putting as when he first encountered them, but this time at least, he has Lonnie's voice in his head to remind him (and tease in turns) how the buttons work. He ignores the sickening lurching in his stomach at the motion and all but breaks down the doors when they don't open fast enough when it stops.

Jay is out of the elevator before the chime reaches his ears, stumbling out into the library and ignoring the librarian that hisses 'Shhh!' at him. The woman is monstrously ugly anyway, and Jay doesn't have time to bother with old hags like her right now even if he totally would have knocked over a shelf or something just to piss her off because he _has to find Carlos_ , damnit and he's just rounding a corner now and-

There.

Jay practically slumps against the nearest bookshelf with relief as he takes in the sight of Carlos, sitting in a weird pillow like chair between Jane and Lonnie. There's others, too, he realizes as he straightens and approaches, trying to slow his feet and his breathing so he appears nonchalant. Ben, and his princess, Andy? Audra? Audrey, that was it- and the dwarf kid, Doug, and another boy with tanned skin and loose curls tucked into a corner on a couch. The boy is vaguely familiar, and Jay feels uneasy for some reason when he sees him, but he brushes it off because that's not what he's here for.

"There you are, Carlos," he calls, and the whole group looks up at him as he hovers. "The knight said that…that I'd find you here," he amends quickly, not wanting to bring this up in front of everyone.

Carlos' eyes flicker, but his expression is light, and sort of pleased, almost, as he meets Jay's gaze. His lips twitch, but don't open, and Jay feels anger and a helpless sinking in his gut at the silence.

"Hey," Lonnie greets, her eyes dark with mischief as she smirks at him. "Fancy seeing you in such an esteemed place of learning. I wouldn't have guessed you went for much outside of the physical area."

Jay snorts and rolls his eyes at her in response, but his chest pulls uncomfortably under his shirt, and he has to clench his fist to keep from scratching at the scar.

"Looks like I'm just full of surprises," he quips right back, and she chuckles lowly before sliding over.

"Join the circle," she says with a wave of her hand.

Jay glances around again, and notes that the boy on the couch averts his eyes, before lifting a questioning brow at Carlos.

"Ok if I sit?" he asks quietly, though he knows it's no use with everyone being so close. Carlos shrugs a shoulder but nods easily enough, and Jay sinks down onto his knees between Carlos and Lonnie, the rest of the group shuffling around to make it even.

"So," Jay drawls, eyes instantly snapping to the strange kid on the sofa, who was resolutely refusing to make eye contact. "What's all this about? Some kind of secret meeting?"

"We were just trying to come up with ideas for, uh…for the Council," Ben says carefully, smiling. It's so small Jay has to squint to really see it, though, and it falls off of the other boy's face in an instant.

"And I was just leaving," the strange boy says, standing abruptly, eyes still downcast.

His posture is entirely too weak; the kind of body language from someone trying too hard not to be noticed. It's the kind of posturing that usually comes from the prey, and instinct has Jay bristling and straightening as well, anticipating _blood_ and _violence_ and _submission_.

"Why's that, huh?" he snaps out, his voice somewhere between a bark and a growl. "Too many villains in one place all of a sudden?"

The boy's expression shifts and it's weak and open and vulnerable and Jay is tensing to go in for the kill when his eyes flicker up and….

"Oh," Jay says, blinking once but no more because now he _has_ to maintain that eye contact because "Well, fuck me. Course, you'd probably like that, wouldn't you _queer?"_

There's a ripple through the Auradon kids at his words, but he ignores them all, ignores the hiss of his name from somewhere as the other boy- his name started with an N, that was all Jay bothered to remember- actually lifted his head to meet Jay's gaze head on, something harsh twisting his lips.

"Not really," he murmurs, his voice low and subtly accented. "I do have some standards, after all."

Jay bares his teeth and he's on his feet in the next breath, fists clenched and blood roaring in his ears.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snarls, and though the other boy flinches slightly, he stands his ground, and Jay would respect that if he weren't a fucking faggot and if the scar on his chest wasn't itching and if his own screams of forced pleasure weren't overriding all of instincts to _fight hurt kill._

"Nothing at all," the fucker replies, still with that twist of his lips. "Just that homophobic assholes aren't really my type…aside from that, I'm already taken."

Jay is leaping across the room and grabbing the boy's collar before his anger even catches up, and it feels so good to watch his eyes widen, watch that oh-so-cocky twist of his lips falter and die. To feel the frantic heartbeat against his fingertips and hear the low grunt of pain _pain **pain**_ as his fist connects with solid flesh.

Someone is screaming, he realizes dimly, between the blows. Yelling his name, yelling for help, yelling to stop stop stop this isn't the Isle this isn't _them_ this isn't like whatever came before. But giving pain is what Jay is good at. It's what got him where he is right now; alive, at least. It's what keeps his own pain away and, if he's being brutally honest- which the breathtaking sound of groaning and muffled whimpers tells him he is- he enjoys it. He enjoys it because it's not him this time, not him in pain, no he's in charge now and he's not the one begging he's not he's not he won't ever beg again he'll make them all beg he'll-

Something gets between his fist and stops it short and suddenly _he's_ in pain and his hand is…ow. Ow! Jay winces at the twinge in his wrist, blinking at the fingers that grab it, at the other hand that twists it back and away and _shit_ that hurts! It's wrong, Jay realizes slowly. It's wrong that it hurts because he's the one who's supposed to be…supposed to be….

White. White in his vision, in front of him. Red and white and a familiar sort of weight pressing against him. The sharp scent of metal and oil and something distinctly raw and human. Cold, dark eyes that are wide but unblinking, a low, soft growl buzzing in his ears.

"Carlos?" Jay mutters, and then he realizes that his fist is still raised, and in Carlos' grip, the other boy's hand above his head to accommodate the difference in height. Realizes that Carlos is the one growling, and that he's growling at Jay, his lips pressed tightly together as he grits his jaw.

The smaller boy says nothing, but he brings his hand up and signs, closing his pointer and index fingers over his thumb like a small mouth, giving a quick, firm shake of his head. [No.]

Jay frowns, tugging his fist out of the other boy's grip. "What do you mean, 'no'?" Jay snarls back, attempting to force his way forward again. He can hear the stifled groaning behind Carlos, knows he hasn't finished hasn't done enough because he shouldn't be able to hear anything if he does it right. Carlos growls a bit harder and moves with him, bringing his hands up and shoving Jay hard. He's just enough off balance to make the shove effective, and he staggers backwards a couple feet.

Carlos signs again, bringing his right hand up in a flat palm and aggressively bringing his left hand in a sideways flat palm down onto it in a chopping motion. [Stop!]

Jay scoffs in disbelief, his face twisting harshly in a sneer. "Really, Carlos?" He spits, his hands clenching in place of his jaw. "You're really doing this right now? Over _that_?" He jerks his head vaguely in the direction of the groaning boy behind him, who was slowly getting to his feet and Jay definitely hadn't done it right.

Carlos extends his hands in flat shapes with his palms towards the ground and 'pats' the air in front of him slightly. [Calm down.]

"I'll be calm when that pervert is dead," Jay snaps back, and Carlos' eyes flash darkly as he signs again, brushing his thumb along the underside of his chin with a shake of his head before gesturing to the area in front of him. [Not here.]

"Jay, you need to listen to him," someone says behind him, and Jay starts slightly at the intrusion. "I don't know what the problem is but-"

"You're right, _Ben_ ," Jay cuts across the other boy sharply, keeping his glare directed at Carlos. "You don't know, so I suggest you back off before I..."

"Stop."

Jay blinks, frowning hard as he tries to figure out if this is a command he wants to ignore. His body decides for him, shifting backwards slowly and he feels _heavy_ and he reasons that the adrenaline had faded, but it shouldn't be hard to just shove Carlos aside and...do…do what? He doesn't really want to do anything right now and it's weird because a second ago he was in danger…he was going to….

"How many times am I going to have to deal with these situations with you?" the new voice says sternly. Then there's a pause, and it's not quite as harsh sounding. "Can you hear me, Jay?"

Yeah, he thinks, nodding his head idly, confused as to his sudden lack of anger. I can hear you.

"I'm going to need you to nod your head," and Jay recognizes the Fairy Godmother now, wondering why it took him so long.

More silence, but movement rustles and there's a groan that sparks something thick and hot in Jay's gut before:

"He says that's as close to a nod as you're going to get," a young girl's voice says, and then he sort of ignores the conversation because it's too much effort to really process each individual sentence.

"…need an explanation…."

"-is none….out of nowhere…."

"….the violent type, but never would have thought…."

"Did he really say he was going to kill Nikki?"

He blinks at that, cold jarring down his spine and snapping awareness into him with sharp and painful clarity. He's still on his feet, but everything is shifted…it all felt _wrong_ somehow and instinct had Jay anticipating an attack until he recognizes Carlos beside him and instantly snaps into defense; gripping the smaller boy's shoulders and shifting him into position behind Jay. Carlos yelps in protest but Jay ignores him and stiffens, bringing his fists up and adjusting his body to physically cover as much of other boy as he can.

"Whatever it is you want," Jay growls lowly, grimacing at the danger tingling in every part of his body. "You're going to have to get it the hard way."

"J-j-j-j-j…," he hears behind him, Carlos voice a strangled whisper as he struggles to get out the word. It only serves to heighten Jay's anxiety because of all things, his name had been the easiest thing for the boy to say and he was going to _kill_ whoever had made it so hard.

"Jay," he hears in front of him, and he snaps his head around so fast it hurts. "You're not in danger. No one is going to hurt you _or_ Carlos. I promise."

"Bull," he snaps, clenching his teeth. Although he couldn't help but pause minutely, caught off guard by the words. No one on the Isle made promises like that; when someone wanted to hurt you, they hurt you and that was that. They didn't bother with trying to reassure otherwise.

"J-j-j-," Carlos is trying behind him, his fingers prodding at the small of Jay's back.

"I'm sorry," from in front of him again. "I shouldn't have tried to use magic to subdue you like that. I acted irrationally and I truly regret it. But you are not in danger. I promise."

He blinks at that, really confused now. Magic wasn't the Isle…the Isle wasn't magic so where….

"J-j-j-jay," Carlos chokes out behind him, his fingers poking a gentle but insistent rhythm on his back. "Ssafe. Ssswear. Ssafe."

Safe, Jay repeats to himself, turning the word over and over until it makes sense. It makes sense very suddenly and the room comes into focus like a slap.

"Auradon," he mutters, blinking at the Fairy Godmother as she materializes before his eyes. "Sorry, I…what did I….?"

His chest pulls uncomfortably and he has to bite his lip to keep from rubbing at the scar. The taste of _blood_ and _please_ and _sour_ is thick in the back of his throat, and danger buzzes furiously in his ears as _hands_ sting hot trails down the back of his neck and….

"Ssafe," Carlos whispers, moving out from behind him so Jay can actually see the truth in his face. "Sssafe."

He's talking, but he cringes with each word and Jay grimaces sharply at the reminder that they all weren't as safe as they hoped.

"I think this is something that would be better discussed elsewhere," the Fairy Godmother says, her eyes darting to some point outside his field of vision.

"I wasn't going to bring it up," a voice rasps from that same point. "But yeah, somewhere else would be nice like, I don't know…the infirmary? Just a suggestion."

"Really?" someone else, Jay thinks maybe Ben? says. "You're really making jokes after that Nik-"

"It's either that or break down," the other voice grunts back, and Jay feels a white hot spike of anger and unease as he turns sharply on his heel-

And is immediately faced with Carlos, who shoves his way in between Jay and the threat, face hard and eyes even harder.

"Nnno," he growls softly. "Not the-the-the-the ssame. Ssafe."

"Safe?" Jay repeats fiercely, trying to lunge forward but keep himself restrained at the same time because Carlos was there and if he moved wrong he'd get hurt and _everything hurt and it's too much he doesn't want to please please please_ ….

"I don't know what rainbow colored world you live in 'Los, but you _know-_ "

"Wh-what _that's_ like," Carlos mumbles, angling his head away but not dropping eye contact. "Not-not-not he..he…re."

"There isn't a difference," Jay snarls, glaring at the creep over Carlos' shoulder and also trying to figure out just why Carlos was in the way in the first place; trying to shake the sensation of fingers bruising patterns into his hip.

"Ben," the Fairy Godmother says, and Jay jumps slightly at the sound of her voice. Somehow, he hadn't accounted for her in his taking stock of threats and forgot that she was there. "Take the others with you and get Nikhil to the infirmary. The staff there will know what to do."

There's a small shift of movement that Jay senses is meant to mean protest, but it's not acted upon, and so he isn't really sure.

"Jay…Carlos," the Fairy Godmother continues, and there's something in her voice that Jay doesn't like. "Would you kindly meet me in my office?"

* * *

 **Carlos**

Jay is not ok.

Carlos has to fight to wrap his head around that idea and yet it's painful how obvious a fact it is. Jay is shaking as they make their way to the Fairy Godmother's office, his jaw so tight Carlos can see the way the muscles clench in his neck. Sweat dots the other boy's brow and there's a sick sort of tension in the way he holds his body; like he's pain, or…the opposite. He can't tell which but it's definitely pain in Jay's eyes; dark and thick and yet so open that it's like looking down the side of a cliff at the rocks you're about to be shattered on.

"Fuck," Jay hisses, his voice barely a breath and the word forming on his lips alone, his jaw clenching even tighter as if he doesn't dare open his mouth too much. "Fuck…fuck…fuck…."

There's a rhythm to it, Carlos realizes as they continue down the halls. A tightening and loosing of tension with each raspy breath, an increase of pain before the lull of…that something else, before: "Fuck…" and it starts again.

He knows what it is because he's seen it before…lived it before, but it's so strange to see it happening in front of him. To see it on someone else. To see it on _Jay._

"J-j-jay," Carlos works out, keeping an eye on the Fairy Godmother's back for caution as he turns to face the older boy. "J-j-j-j-ay…."

He grimaces hard, biting his lip and cursing his inability to speak. Why, out of all the things, was he not able to say Jay's name? He'd been so happy when they'd first met, to finally have something so easy to say…so easy to connect to…so easy to…. Except things like love didn't exist on the Isle so he had never been able to fully articulate just what it was he felt for the other boy. And then of course, the inevitable had happened and out of all of them Carlos never would have thought it would happen to _Jay_ and it wasn't fair!

"F-k," Jay mutters, and the word catches in his throat and sticks there suddenly, and Carlos slows to a stop as Jay does.

"Okkkay," Carlos tries to whisper, but the words aren't working and he needs them to work damnit! He can say a stupid sentence he isn't _weak_ , he doesn't have a _problem_. "J-j-jay? It's okay. Ssafe. Ssafe."

It's all he can manage but he goes with it, as Jay shoves his back against the nearest wall and stays there, unmoving. The Fairy Godmother only just seems to notice that something is wrong, but Carlos doesn't resent her for it.

Jay panics silently.

It's something Carlos never would have guessed; never would have wanted to find out and especially not…not like this. But whereas Carlos' fits were typically much more audible; and where Evie would internalize and eventually explode; and Mal just exploded instantly…Jay was silent. It didn't make it hurt any less, though.

"Jay? What-?"

Carlos turns sharply on his heel, shaking his head and holding up a hand to stop her. "Sshh!" he whispers hoarsely, wincing at the look of stern surprise he gets in response. He inches his way over to Jay and places his back against the wall, mirroring the older boy's position. It's so strange, Carlos thinks numbly. Jay's breathing is quick, but not horribly labored like he's expecting; it's almost as if he'd just run really fast and then stopped to catch his breath. But that moment of calm just wasn't coming, if the tightness in Jay's expression and the shuddering of his body was any indication. It's not right, any of it, and Carlos has to fight his own panic even harder here because he can't screw this up, he has to be strong for once in his life he has to just _talk just say anything just do something!_ But how is he supposed to help when he can't…he can't even say his name?

Jay is still quiet, and it's not ok and Carlos can't even say anything to make it better because he's such a screw up and why…how could he have ever thought that someone like Jay would even look at him once, forget twice? Why couldn't he just be normal? Was it not bad enough that he couldn't talk right couldn't think right couldn't behave right? Why could his feelings not be right? Why couldn't he do even this? Why was he still thinking like this weren't things supposed to be different now why couldn't he just make it be different and why was he worrying about _this_ when he should be _helping Jay?!_

"Safe."

The word comes from nowhere and everywhere at once, and Carlos blinks as his mind struggles to go back together.

"You are safe. They can't reach you here. No one here will hurt you. You are safe."

"Ssafe," Carlos repeats the word slowly, and relaxes when nothing happens. "Safe."

Jay shudders hard next to him and on an impulse, Carlos reaches out and grabs his hand. Jay goes entirely still and Carlos curses his stupidity because of _course_ he doesn't want to be touched right now and he's just made it worse and

"You are safe."

And he remembers how to breathe again and where they are. This is Auradon. It is not like the Isle. The people here are not like the people on the Isle. The people here…are allowed to be happy. Whatever that might mean.

"Ssafe," Carlos repeats, a little bit louder, angling his head so he's facing Jay. "Safe."

"Yes," the Fairy Godmother echoes, though she's lowered her voice so Carlos wonders if Jay even hears it. "You are safe. No one is going to hurt you for this."

Jay's fingers twitch in his hand and Carlos holds on a little tighter, shifting his body so he's fully facing Jay, blocking out the hallways beyond with his own slight frame.

"Mme," he whispers to Jay, watching his face carefully for any sign of recognition. "Me. Safe."

Jay's eyes flicker, and he blinks, but they're still dark…still too much pain for Carlos' liking.

"J…Jay," Carlos forces out, and Jay blinks again, his breathing slowing down minutely. "Jay. Safe. Ju-ju-just me. Carl-os. Safe."

It's the most he's spoken in hours and he feels a warm rush of relief that he can even manage that, as well as a deeper pang of pain and dread that even that hadn't come out entirely right.

"'Los?"

Carlos jumps at the sound of Jay's voice; hoarse and thick, like he'd been screaming. But it's _Jay's voice_ and he's not quiet and that's all that Carlos lets himself focus on as he carefully pulls his hand away.

"Ye-yes," he mumbles, moving slowly but not moving away just yet.

Jay's brow furrows in confusion, his eyes darting around the hallway and Carlos recognizes his gesture for what it is. Checking for threats.

"Nu-n-no threat-threat-threat's," Carlos promises shakily, trying to shift his body to catch Jay's gaze. "Aur-adon. It's ssafe."

"Ok," Jay drawls slowly, shoving himself away from the wall suddenly and without warning. Carlos trips in his haste to back away, to control his thoughts, to not be…wrong. "Were we going somewhere?"

And Carlos can't say anything at all, but this time, it's not because of his tripping tongue. He isn't entirely sure what just happened; where the sudden shift had come from. A second ago Jay had been in the middle of some kind of panic attack? Or memory? But now…it's like…nothing had happened?

"My office," the Fairy Godmother answers, and it takes Carlos a second to realize she's answering Jay. "To discuss what occurred in the library a moment ago."

Jay sighs, but it comes out as more of a groan, and though he rolls his eyes, his voice still shakes and he won't meet Carlos' eyes all the way.

"There's nothing to discuss," Jay's mouth says.

But his eyes are still that too dark of the edge of a cliff, and his voice is still too hoarse and his hands still shake and he's still. not. ok.

* * *

 **Jay**

If it's one thing Jay hates the most about the confrontation with the Fairy Godmother, it's that Carlos won't stop staring at him. The other is the weird, half pity-half dismaying look on the Fairy Godmother's face, but Carlos is what's really getting to him.

"I don't think you understand the severity of your actions, Jay."

Jay blinks, pulling his eyes away from Carlos to glare at the Fairy Godmother. She's standing in front of her desk, hands folded in front of her and a stern look on her face that Jay would take seriously if it weren't for that _look_ in her eyes.

"I understand what I did plenty," Jay snaps, his hands twitching anxiously at his sides. They want to curl into fists; to tug at his hair; to scratch the scar on his chest; to break whatever they can get hold of. "It's you guys who seem to be having trouble."

"And just what is it that I'm missing, Jay?" the woman retorts right back, her lips pursing and the dismay growing in her eyes. "Because the reports I've received have made one thing clear enough, and I'll have you know that while Auradon isn't perfect by any means, we do pride ourselves on how far we've come."

"From what?" Jay challenges, his eyes flickering over to Carlos, who's sitting in one of the Fairy Godmother's chairs, his fingers fiddling with something under his sleeve.

"From the attitudes and ideals which you and the other four have been horrifically displaying," she finishes, and Jay bares his teeth in a silent snarl. "It is unacceptable behavior and something which we do not tolerate here."

"But you'll tolerate all the shit that _they_ do?" Jay bites out, giving in to one of his urges and running his fingers roughly through his hair.

His hand stutters at the back of his neck and he flinches hard in spite of himself, crossing his arms tightly over his chest instead. His whole body feels weak and uncertain, _hands_ running sickening patterns over his flesh and sending stabbing sensations through his chest. Carlos stiffens in his chair and Jay clenches his jaw, forcing himself to ignore the other boy. He can't ignore Carlos' hands though, which worry their way across his arms under his sleeves and Jay registers briefly the realization that he's tracing the scars embedded in his skin before:

"And just what, exactly, is it that you're so intolerant of?" the Fairy Godmother insists fiercely, pulling him back into the coolness of her office while simultaneously shoving him back into the warm sensation of _hands._ "Help me understand this, because I just don't."

"No, you really fucking don't," Jay grumbles, shivering and clenching his arms even tighter. In the chair, Carlos' fingers trace over a certain set of letters and in front of him, the Fairy Godmother scowls and worries and pities, and _all over him, hands, hands, hands, and Jay wants to scream but his throat hurts and he's already done that and if he opens his mouth now they'll make him…._

"It doesn't matter," he practically vomits out the words, fighting the instinct to double over, to cower, to appear weak and small and pathetic. "We won't be in Auradon for much longer anyway so you don't even have to worry about what I'll do because…."

Because…oh _Hades_ , they were going back there…back to _them_ to their parents and if Jafar had been disappointed in him before…and he'd be sent back because if Jay couldn't even do something as simple as _steal_ then that's all he'd be good for anyway and he can't he can't he can't go back to _that!_

"It does matter," the Fairy Godmother retorts, and Carlos is leaning out of the chair, looking like he wants to say something but unable to reach the words. "Because believe it or not, there are people here who care about you, and who care whether you succeed here. But in order to do that, I need you to be willing to work with me; and I need to understand what happened in the library."

She says 'library,' but her eyes say something different and _fuck,_ Jay wasn't going to do any of this. He sneers, and scoffs tightly between his teeth, but he's still shaking and Carlos won't stop looking at him.

"Carlos?"

Jay blinks, and glances sideways as the other boy starts in his chair. He meets Jay's eyes for an uneasy second before turning back to the Fairy Godmother, and Jay fights the hot flare of anger that wells up at being so easily disregarded.

"Jay-jay-jay came…," Carlos starts, and then abruptly stops, his eyes flickering as he works his lips and nothing comes out. Jay clenches his fists as Carlos struggles, swearing that Kropp would pay for whatever it was he did to Carlos to cause him to slip back into muteness. As it is, Carlos sits and continues to fail at words, while Jay stands and fails at fighting off the _hands_ that continue to press into his skin.

"He came to the library," the Fairy Godmother prompts, and both of them flinch as her voice forces awareness back into them, though Carlos recovers faster and nods, while Jay can barely keep his feet under him.

"Yyyyes," Carlos says, practically mumbling, but at least he managed the word. "Look-looking? Fffor me?" he says that part to Jay, who sets his jaw tightly and stiffens. His action receives an equally tight look of disappointment? maybe? from Carlos, and Jay regrets it, but he can't open his mouth to explain because the _hands_ are everywhere and if he opens his mouth now….

"So, Jay came to the library to find you," the Fairy Godmother puts together, and Jay is able to appreciate, at least, her easy lack of judgment for Carlos' lack of speech.

Carlos nods, then presses his lips together and glances doubtfully at Jay before taking a slow breath.

"Nnnnoth-nothin-nothing was wrrr…bad," he forces out, wincing as he trips and has to amend his speech. "Nothing was bad." He repeats it harder, and to Jay, but Jay is barely hanging on and it's all too much and he thinks he should sit, he wants to sit but if he moves they'll notice him more and their _hands_ are already _everywhere_ have already been _everywhere and he can't open his mouth he doesn't dare and he's screaming without air, screaming low in his throat as hands and mouths touch his skin and 'fuck' and 'yes' and 'good' and_

"Everything was going well," the Fairy Godmother interprets, and Jay swallows his gasp because for a second Auradon had disappeared entirely. "Nothing bad had happened, you mean?"

And Carlos is nodding, the little shit, his eyes still flickering in Jay's direction. "Unt-ti-til…Jay…he-"

"Bullshit!" Jay roars without meaning to, his throat burning and his voice too loud and shit he'd just moved, hadn't he? "That's fucking bullshit, Carlos and you know it!"

Stop shouting, his brain screams at him. Stop moving stop talking stop don't open your mouth you know what they'll do to you what they've done what they're doing stopstopstopstop!

Jay wavers on his feet but manages to maintain his anger. Anger was good, it kept him safe, kept him grounded. He was angry at Carlos at the Fairy Godmother at Auradon. The anger kept him in his body; kept telling him 'safe' even when his brain screamed 'death.'

"Jay…," the Fairy Godmother begins, but he ignores here, has to ignore her because it's _Carlos_ that he's focusing on right now and if he lets his mind wander to transition to _her_ , even for a second, the _hands_ will come back.

"Try and pin it on me and act like _I'm_ the one who did something wrong?" he spits, taking a step forward and ignoring the body crumpling sensation of pain that it jabs through his mind. "That's not fair!"

"Nei-neither is dict- ssaying that I-I-I-that people aren't all-allo-allowed to ffeel the wway they do be-be-because you were-"

"Finish that sentence," Jay growls, and he's on his feet and he's angry but his stomach is in his throat and his chest is throbbing. "I fucking _dare_ you."

And Carlos' eyes flicker but he's entirely sincere and Jay _knows_ it. "Bec-beca-use of what hahahappened to you," he amends in a low voice, his eyes dropping before lifting back up to Jay's face. "That..that… _that's_ not fffair."

"Nothing is fair," Jay wants to retort, but his voice is shaking too much he is shaking and he's moving way too much but it's not _fair_ and he _knows_ it's not. Even on the Isle it hadn't all been like…but he can't…he won't…because if he does then it means that it was his fault and he can't he can't he can't….

"It's not fair," someone cries, the deep kind of crying when it's all just too much. "It's not fair…I didn't…I didn't want…. It's not fair."

It takes him far too long to realize that he's the one crying.


	27. Go get your shovel we'll dig a deep hole

***turns on wipers to wipe away the angst from the windshield of the car that is this chapter***

 **Hey guys!**

 **If you couldn't tell from my little intro, I did a thing. I did an angsty, shitty thing and you are going to want to put on your rubber boots for this one.**

 **But first, the reviews, then the forecast for the evening.**

 **As always, feel free to skip the reviews, but tune in for the *Warnings* like you tune in for the weather.**

 **(Don't ask me where the puns come from, I have no idea.)**

* * *

 **tradingtruthsforlies: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the update, and I hope you'll enjoy this one as well.**

 **FlatFox: I hope this is soon enough, although I'm sorry for making you cry. If it's any consolation, I cried too while writing it, so we're even, haha. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Ari loves all 2k14 : You thanked me, but I'm still sorry if the chapter hit close to home for you. I always try to be careful to avoid that so I'm sorry. Hopefully this chapter will be better though it most likely won't be, so I'm sorry in advance!**

 **Nyehhhh: I know exactly what you mean, haha. What is it about those types of stories that draws us to them? I don't know, but I'm really glad you chose mine to follow, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Yasssyisthebest: Thank you for the review and the kind words! I hope you have a good year as well, and that you'll continue to enjoy my story.**

 **Gogogirl: Aw, thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you like my story so much and I hope you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **Guest 1: I'm glad I was able to make your day, lol. Thank you for the review and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Homegurl: I'm sorry, I know, it was very much a feels trip. This one is as well so the most I can do is with you luck and say be prepared, lol. :)**

 **Hazminelol: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're so invested in the story, lol. Regarding answers, you're just going to have to wait and see, really, but I'll say for relationships I'm doing 'mostly' canon, but with some twists for reality's sake.**

 **Fire and Ice 01: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and I hope you'll enjoy this one as well.**

 **Smootsmokey: Continuing ;)**

 **BlueMoon007: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! Yes, it's definitely one emotional ride after another, but I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy regardless.**

 **Kry Chi: I agree, the comfort is always the best part, and there is definitely some more of that to come, and I will definitely be exploring the different sides to their relationship. Also yes, haha, it's always fulfilling to have a good cry, even if it doesn't always feel like it at the time. The four have a lot to learn about that…**

 **Guest 2: Thank you for the kind (and wise) words, lol. I'm glad you're enjoying my approach/portrayal of these topics. It's definitely important to me to showcase all sides, and I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Descendants5HLM : I think the excited must be mutual since I got so excited when I saw you reviewed, lol.**

 **Carlos is definitely the most trusting of the four, which is ironic, since he's also one of the most fearful. I'd say (at least how I perceive them/going with my headcanons here) that Carlos and Mal are the more fearful, and Evie and Jay are the more open, given that for the most part, there wasn't too much that they needed to fear (until later ahahaha *chokes on evil laughter*)**

 **As for their trust of the Fairy Godmother; I'll be explaining it a bit more from their pov, but it basically just stems from her being the only source of constant 'safety.' Despite everything going on and the various dangers that they're perceiving they're in, the Fairy Godmother is the only one who has consistently not hurt them, and is therefore 'safe.' Regarding Kropp; yes, he knows that things like stuttering and other disabilities exist, but he's one of _those people_ that thinks that short of being a wheelchair or being born with a certain condition (blind/deaf, etc.) most disabilities are just things that are being made up or exaggerated for 'attention' or some other ignorant sh*t like that. (So yes, your hatred of him is fully justified, lol)**

 **There's a lot that the movie does that wouldn't be the case in reality *glares* but yes, I definitely don't think they four would just forget the other kids on the Isle who are still going through all the crap that they just escaped from. And yep, Evie was alone, and you definitely hit some more nails on the head, lol. You don't leave Evie alone, not because they're afraid she'll be in danger or can't defend herself when things go wrong (she totally can) but with nothing there to fill that space, it's just Evie and her thoughts…**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. And keep sending those long reviews, I enjoy every word of them! ;)**

 **StoryWriting1414: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! We will definitely be seeing the aftermath of Jay's fight with Nikki, as well as the revelation/reactions of what Kropp did to Carlos soon, and in the mean time I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Angsty Draggy: Welcome to the story and thank you so much for leaving a review! I'm really glad you're enjoying my story so much and that you think I'm doing a good job handling everything. I definitely don't plan on stopping writing any time soon, so no worries there! I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **EvietoyourMal: Backstreet's back, alright! Lol, sorry, couldn't resist. Yes I am back and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Was also really relieved to hear you thought my research was paying off, I wasn't too sure how to go about it all to be honest, but I'm glad you think it came across well. :) And don't you worry, there will be more of all the VKs, and you'll get a bit more of Evie in this chapter as well, so I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Tiredandlazy: *cracks knuckles in anticipation* You thought that was angst? You clearly haven't read me at my evilest and most angsty, muwahahaha!**

 **Just you wait, my lazy friend, the angst is strong with this one. Ok, I'll knock of the silliness and get down to it.**

 **Yes, the therapist is Jiminy Cricket's nephew, though he was originally going to be someone else entirely, but I wasn't quite sure how I was handling certain aspects of the world and the characters yet, so I just played it safe with some Classic Disney references. But I'm glad you liked him anyway, lol.**

 **And yes, Kropp is certainly a pure and honest soul isn't he? ;) As I mentioned in an earlier review, he's one of _those people_ , who are ignorant/otherwise uneducated and think that 'invisible' disabilities (like mental health/speech impediments/ptsd, etc) are just made up or exaggerated for the sake of 'attention,' which is why, despite being a biology teacher, he is so incredibly ignorant/abusive towards Carlos, who has a stutter. (Also, I'll PM you regarding mystery daddo so keep an eye out for that. ;))**

 **And hey, no worries, I am all for weird euphemisms, lol. I realize what you were trying to say, and again I say, I see your declaration of angst and I raise…even more angst.**

 **And you're not the only one who gets excited for fanfiction even before the fandom has been created. I remember doing the same thing with Descendants, because I knew that Disney wouldn't do it the way it should have been, and the fanfiction has not disappointed me yet, lol.**

 **Anyway, I'll let you enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to hearing what you think! :)**

 **ilovetowrite4156: Welcome to the story and thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story and that you think I'm doing such a good job handling everything and portraying everyone. It's definitely been a journey writing this story, and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy it!**

 **Gracfully: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying.**

 **astrovagant: I really like your username! Welcome to the story and thank you so much for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, despite the angst, hahah, and I hope that continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Jewelz1642: It's good to hear from you again and thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job and portraying everything and handling it well, and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy. :)**

 **Guest 3: Thank you for the suggestion. I'm still working through the pairings for this story, but I appreciate the idea and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Hey, it's good to hear from you again! It has been a while, but that's ok because it's been a while on my end too, haha. In answer to your question, Amelia (Amy) and Richard are Rodger and Anita Radcliffe's kids; the Radcliffe's are the family that Cruella stole the dogs from in 101 Dalmatians, she and Anita used to be best friends. (And believe me, I am going to have so much fun unpacking that history, lol)**

 **And don't you worry, Kropp will get his due, and there will be some resolution with Jay and Nikhil- and yes, it was mostly just because they'd never really met each other so Jay never bothered to remember his name.**

 **I hope you're doing well and that you'll continue to read and enjoy, even if you can't always review. :)**

 **Yasameme: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much. I'm working through the relationships for this story and I am always open to suggestions, haha, but for the most part all I can tell you is you'll have to wait and see. ;)**

 **NickNopeDNS: Thank you for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Hungrygirl101: Thank you for the review, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so much. I'm working my way through all the pairings for this story, but they're not the main focus, so they probably won't get mentioned much until later on. But I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story in the meantime regardless.**

 **narutogirl103: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Random Reader : Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you liked the chapter, even if it was pretty sad. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **Guest 4: You definitely nailed some things on the head there! The VKs will definitely be having a time of it sorting through where to go from here, and one of those issues will definitely be with Carlos moving off and doing his own thing. They're not going to let go of each other so easily, but there will be some resolutions, so we'll see how it all plays out. And yes, Mal definitely has everyone's number, lol, and there will certainly be hell to pay when she gets hold of Kropp, lol. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Guest 5: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **ceara1888: Aw, thank you for the review and the kind words. Things will start to settle down son for the VKs, they just have to get through this admittedly rough patch, haha. But there will definitely be some fluff and resolutions, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **tigerladygamer: *pries Kropp carefully out of your jaws* No, tiger, you can't eat him! I haven't made him suffer for hurting Carlos, yet! You can maul him after I'm through with him…if I leave anything left, hahaha! ;)**

 **Time Turner: How the tables turn, isn't it? Haha, it was nice to have Carlos being the one to comfort for once, even if the circumstances weren't so nice. And no worries, he's not so suspicious, but they'll all be keeping their guard up around him for the moment anyway. ;) I hope you continue to follow along and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Ok guys, note time!**

 **Author's Note 1: So, as you may have picked up, this chapter is intense. It deals with the aftermath of the breakdown from last chapter, and sparks a couple more in the fallout. Not only that, but the 'good folks' of Auradon are going to be forced to confront some of their own actions as they realize that things aren't so black/white as they seem.**

 **So, with that in mind, the *WARNINGS* for this chapter are as follows:**

 **Angst. Like, a shit ton of angst, seriously, wear some boots. Language, and brief mentions of homophobia/homophobic behavior. Mentions and references to child abuse/neglect; flashbacks/nightmares; panic/anxiety attacks; brief mentions/descriptions of self-harm and the aftermath of self-harm (nothing graphic, but it's there); implications and references of assault/child molestation, as well as dealing with mental health issues like dissociation disorders, depression, suicidal thoughts (implied only), as well as just the overall realistic depictions of trauma and consequences of what happens when you leave a bunch of kids on an island inhabited by villains.**

 **It seems like a lot, and it definitely is, but there is also a bit of fluff and comfort to balance out all the hurt, but I just want to make sure I'm giving you all fair warning/preparation for what you're diving into.**

* * *

 **Note 2: If anyone is interested, the songs that inspired this chapter are: Twisted by MISSIO, I don't even care about you by MISSIO, Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore (title), Acid Rain by Lorn, Easy by Son Lux, Zombie by the Cranberries (specifically the MISSIO cover), and Drop the Game by Flume & Chet Faker. There's others that I listened to while writing this chapter, but these are the ones that directly influenced it.**

 **Alright enough words from me. Enjoy the chapter and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

Jay woke up screaming in the hideout that night.

Or rather, Jay was screaming, and Mal woke up as a result.

She fumbled in the darkness for a moment, cursing when her fingers couldn't find the light fast enough. But finally, her hand bumped into the tiny lamp, and she snapped the switch on the side. The hideout wasn't exactly flooded with light, given that the lamp was so small, and missing the shade, and that the bulb was dying and therefore, too dim. But it was light enough that she could make out Jay, flat on his back in the opposite corner of the room and screaming bloody murder. Which, if he didn't stop soon, just might end up a reality.

"Jay!" Mal hissed sharply, inching across the room slowly and eyeing the windows of the hideout. "Jay shut up!"

Jay whimpered instead, a low, keening sound that Mal cringed to hear. If anyone else heard….

"For fucks sake, Jay," she muttered, then froze as something _clanged_ in the street beyond. Mal threw herself towards the lamp, knocking it over in her haste to reach it, and burning her fingers on the bulb in a desperate attempt to hide the light further before finally snuffing it out.

The hideout was instantly plunged in darkness again, but that did nothing as Jay was still _screaming_ , and he was going to get them killed! The thing in the street went _clang_ again, and Mal's next move was to throw herself at Jay, her small body colliding with his and forcefully shoving him over and onto his side, pressing them both against the wall.

Jay jerked beside her, and Mal's fingers might have pressed too hard into his skin, pinching and pulling as they travelled to find his face, before digging her palm against his mouth.

"Shut. Up," she whispered, not quite sure if her mouth was by his ear, and not quite caring. He was entirely still, but his body shook hard against hers and Mal would have grimaced at the horrifying display of weakness if her stomach weren't already churning.

"D'you hear that?" Came a voice from the street, dark and curious.

"Probably just a cat," another voice answered, not quite as deep, but still just as dark. "If we find it, we could eat it."

"Wa'n't a cat," the first voice insisted, and Mal stiffened when she realized that the voices were too close to be coming from the street below, and that whoever it is was lurking just on the other side of the metal divide. "Too human."

"A kid?" the second voice replied, a higher lilt at the end that sounded too excited for Mal's liking. "We could still eat it."

Jay shivered hard, and Mal dug her fingers a little tighter around him. Not for anything comforting, of course, but in case he decided to freak out.

"I'm not _that_ hungry," the first voice grumbled back, a little farther away.

"Yet," the second voice muttered, but it was definitely farther away now. Mal slowly turned her head and listened a moment just to be sure, but the slow shuffling of footsteps were nearly impossible to discern. She could hear the sound they made, but with the way they were moving she couldn't tell if they were still close.

After another moment, she decided to risk it, and slowly…slowly…let herself relax. Jay was still quiet, his whole body stiff and unmoving, and Mal had to poke him a few times to get his attention.

"You almost got us killed," she breathed, her words barely a whisper in the dark of the room. _"_ The _fuck_ , Jay!?"

"Fuck you," Jay mumbled back, but his voice was even softer than hers, something in his tone still shaky and uncertain.

"I agreed to let you stay in the hideout because I thought you'd be more useful to me if you _weren't_ being beaten all the time by Jafar," Mal snapped lowly, and Jay made a low noise in his throat, a sharp shift of movement telling her he'd just flinched. "You constantly putting us in danger kind of defeats the point of being helpful."

"I didn't agree to helping you," Jay said, a little more forceful. "I didn't _ask_ for…." he trailed off harshly, another tight shifting movement of his body.

"For what, Jay?" Mal replied, a little harsher. "You know it's not easy lying to him _and_ my mother when they're both master manipulators, and both asking where the fuck you are."

'Asking' being the polite term. Mal bit back a grimace and tried to ignore the scars itching under her too-small shirt.

"Well excuse me for being so _needy_ ," Jay shot back hotly, and Mal nearly sighed with relief.

There he was. That was Jay; hot and angry and vicious, not…whatever it was he'd been a second ago when he'd been too still. Too quiet.

"You kinda are, though," Mal continued, letting her voice return to a more decent, but still low, volume. If the people outside had been in any dangerous proximity, they'd have known it by now. "Have me acting like a freaking Auradonian, running around and trying to do _nice_ things for you."

"That's on you," Jay retorted, and if Mal was happy to hear the laugh in his voice, she didn't let it come across in her own.

"On me? Why is it on me? You're the one who went missing for two weeks!"

Jay stiffened, and Mal cursed.

"Change the subject," Jay said, his tone blank, but urgent.

He did this, now. Every now and then, if she said something as a joke, or if she brushed against his arm while fighting, or if she mentioned anything to do with his father or where he'd been for those two weeks. 'Change the subject,' or 'move your hand,' or 'stop talking.' Or, sometimes, he'd just freeze entirely.

And Mal was sick of it.

Sick of the strange feeling of _worry_ that coiled in her gut every time she saw that look on his face; all tiny and vulnerable. Every time she changed the subject but he shivered through the rest of the conversation. Every time she'd go and steal for him, so he'd have something to bring back to Jafar so the vizier didn't kill him when he finally returned; and he'd criticize her for what she'd stolen and she'd say well why doesn't he go out and do it himself if he's such an expert? And he'd stiffen and his eyes would go dark, and she'd hurl curses at him until he blinked again.

"No," she said, and Jay squirmed.

"What?"

"I said, no," Mal repeated, glaring into the space where his voice came from. "I'm not changing the subject this time, Jayden. You owe me an explanation."

"Like hell," he growled, but it was all through his teeth, his voice oddly muffled.

"My thieving, murdering, piece of shit partner goes missing for two weeks and I don't get to know why?"

"No, you don't," Jay mumbled, and he was trying to be fierce but he was _mumbling_ , and it made Mal furious. "You don't get to know because you don't _deserve_ to know. It's got nothing to do with you."

"Bull. Shit," Mal growled, and hers was an actual growl not whatever the fuck he'd been trying to do. "After what, almost three months of raiding together, it's got nothing to do with me?"

"You act so offended after literally calling me a piece of shit a second ago," he said, and his voice is hoarse and full of bitter amusement.

"Because you fucking _are_ a piece of shit," Mal all but shouted at him, her voice high and furious. "You think I'm supposed to just, what, pretend like nothing happened when something clearly did?"

"Mal," Jay croaked, his voice weak and pained.

"To just ignore all the beatings I've been taking just to cover your sorry ass?" she continued fiercely, trying to ignore the way her own voice shook. "To act like it _doesn't_ kill me to come here and see you like this every day…like I don't-"

Shit. Too much…she'd said _way_ too much and there was no saving it now because Jay had already picked up on it if the intense shuffling she heard was any indication.

"What?" Jay said, his voice an odd squeak of disbelief. "What did you…?"

"Nothing," Mal snapped, too quickly and too hard to hope to be believed. "I didn't say anything."

"You _what_?!" Jay repeated, his voice cracking over the syllable, and Mal flinched back in shock as she realized just what it was he was thinking.

"Oh fuck, no!" She yelped, scrambling backwards just a bit, and grateful for the lack of light to illuminate her burning face. "Hades, no, Jay…son of a _mother._ "

The thrill of using her mother as a curse was dulled by the horror of the implication her words had taken on. Everyone on the Isle used Maleficent's name in some form of curse or slur, though always outside of ear shot, and always with caution. But Mal couldn't even take the time to enjoy her own small rebellion because Jay was still shuffling forward, and she had to stop him before things got worse.

"Then what the _fuck_ were you going to say?" he hissed, and he was close enough that when Mal reached out and pushed him, it sent him back into the wall.

"Shit, nothing," she insisted, though she was more furious with herself for thinking it than with him for noticing it.

"Like you don't…what…care?" Jay guessed, grumbling as he shifted against the wall.

A beat of silence.

"Oh. _fuck._ "

"Shut up."

"No fucking way…."

"Jayden, I swear to-"

"You actually _care_ , don't you?" Jay whispered, and she couldn't decide what his tone of voice was, or if she hated it or not. "That's what you were gonna say…that you…holy shit."

"I don't know why," Mal blurted, unable to stand whatever conclusion he was jumping to. "It's not like you're important or that you actually have anything valuable to care _about_."

"But…," he trailed off a moment, his voice small again. "But you didn't leave me on the ship when Uma had me like you should have. You…you _are_ hiding me from…and he's been beating you and that's not-"

"Fair?" Mal finished, when Jay trailed off.

"Ew," Jay hissed, and Mal wished the light was on so she could actually see what expression was on his face.

"I know," she agreed instead, forcing her own features to twist in disgust to help, ignoring the strange pang of disappointment and pain in her chest.

"What do you mean you know, you said it!" Jay protested. "You actually…fuck, that's weird."

She didn't trust herself to say anything more, didn't trust the emotions that had already betrayed her once.

"It's weird," Jay continued slowly, his voice still small, but not quite weak. "Because now I have to think of what else to call you, cuz we're not exactly 'allies' anymore."

"What?" Mal said, panicked and hating that she felt so. "What do you mean?"

"Well cuz 'ally' was what we were when it was just our parents forcing us to work together," he said, his voice a low drawl of thought, like he was working it all out as he said it. "And we became 'partners' when we decided to work together on our own; like, it was _our thing_ and not theirs anymore."

She wasn't panicking anymore, but there was a nervous energy flickering through her body, and she squirmed slightly in a brief attempt to get rid of it.

"So," she prompted carefully, when he didn't immediately finish his thought.

"I don't know," Jay answered, his voice pitching higher, helplessly. "I've never really had a friend before, so I don't know how this works!"

"Friend," Mal repeated blankly, not quite sure how the word made her feel. It was an Auradon word; a concept that didn't exist on the Isle.

"Well, yeah…" Jay mumbled, and Mal would have placed money on the fact that if she turned on the light right now, he'd be blushing. "I'm pretty sure that's what they call it. Someone you treat ok and who treats you ok…and who you like spending time with and stuff."

"You…like spending time with me?" Mal repeated, suddenly unsure for an entirely different reason.

"Shut up, I didn't _say_ that," Jay stumbled out quickly, shuffling forward as if to physically stop her from thinking it. "But if... _if_ …we lived in Auradon…I think I'd call you my friend."

"I…yeah," Mal said, blinking hard against the sudden surge of _something_ that wells up at his stupid, stupid words. "I think so too."

Jay made a noise in his throat that might have been a laugh, or might have been a cry, and Mal cleared her throat to keep the same noise from coming out of her own mouth.

"Still think you're a piece of shit, though," she muttered, grinning into the darkness.

His laugh was definitely loud enough to be heard in the street, but Mal was too busy joining him to worry.

* * *

 **Evie**

Despite the ever looming threat of the Isle, Evie's day had been going rather…well. That is, as well as could be considering the constant attention she got every time she entered a room. Normally, attention wouldn't be something she'd worry about; it was what she lived for, and what had helped her stay alive each day back on the Isle. But this kind of attention: all sharp stares and anxious eyes; as if she were seconds away from cursing them or something. It made Evie more uncomfortable than she already was; too much like she was on display, and not in an approving way.

Which is why she's nearly on the verge of panic when she reaches the lockers, and Jay and Carlos are nowhere to be seen. It hadn't so much been established as a rule, but more as a _need_. They _needed_ to be able to be close to each other as often as possible; needed to watch each other's backs and with Mal still recovering in the infirmary, the boys had been Evie's only shield.

Not that she needed protecting…but it was easier to blend in with the other's solid presence around her. Now- especially now, the lack of familiarity made Evie feel more and more closed in; less solid and real and…trapped. Isolated again on the other side of an island, with nothing in between but death and danger and she _couldn't go back to that!_

Evie clenches her jaw tightly, trying to ignore the eyes that flicker her way- _what are they seeing when they look? is her hair undone? is her makeup smudged?-_ ignore the frantic pounding of her heart and try to regain control. She was in control, not _them_ , not anyone else. She didn't need anyone to hide behind because was not _weak,_ True Princesses never cowered, never begged, never hid.

She flinches as a locker slams too close to her, and she nearly loses her grip on her textbooks. High pitched laughter bubbles out from nearby, and Evie snaps her head up sharply, cheeks burning with humiliation. The crowd is too thick, but the _voices_ reach her anyway; harsh and vicious and cruel.

 _"Freak."_

 _"Did you see the way she jumped?"_

 _"I know! So pathetic."_

 _"To think, she was almost one of_ us. _"_

 _"As_ if _! A villain could_ never _be one of us!"_

 _"They'll all be back where they belong soon enough."_

 _"And thank Goodness for that!"_

The voices move off, but the words still linger, and Evie _knows_ that she needs to move too, but what if they're right? There really was no 'what if,' in Evie's mind; if she were truly like an Auradon Princess, she wouldn't have to fear the Isle. A True Princess would _belong_ , would be good enough to marry a Prince. A True Princess would have enough control over herself and her stupid, useless emotions to not to resort to-

She's shaking…and the only way she knows is because her books jostle in her arms, the edges chafing against her sleeve…her skin…and…and….

"Evie!"

An impossible blur of purple.

A hot, violent flash of green.

A vague impression of _warmth_ and _solid_ and _safe_ before:

"E?"

Evie blinks, and she feels the tears that had been blurring her vision slide a hot trail down her cheeks.

"Mal?"

It takes a moment for the other girl to register, but she does, and Evie ignores the rational and lets her emotion act for her, pressing herself into Mal in as close a proximity of a hug as the Isle allowed. Mal doesn't move for a moment, and the rational snaps back into Evie's head and she's all set to back off and start apologizing because _damn_ she just couldn't do _anything right!_ And then Mal relaxes, threading her fingers subtly through Evie's and pressing just a bit closer, and Evie all but breaks down then and there.

It's only the knowledge that they're still out in an open space that makes her pull away when she does, but Mal's hands stay in hers, and she can breathe, and Mal is _here_ …which is…strange…now that she's thinking about it.

"How…how are you here?" Evie blurts, pulling back a bit more and hiding the way her voice shakes with a subtle flip of her hair.

"They let me out of the infirmary early," Mal says, and Evie knows she's noticed the shake because her eyes light with green. "I think they felt guilty…I mean, it'd suck to spend my last few days in Auradon stuck in the infirmary."

Mal chuckles wryly, and Evie's lips twitch, but there's still that lingering heaviness that won't let her fully laugh. Mal's eyes narrow, and her head snaps up sharply to scan the hallway, her lips pulling down sharply with suspicion. Evie knows exactly what she's checking for, and she grabs for the other girl's hand again and tugs to get her attention.

"Mal, stop," she murmurs quickly, her own eyes flickering anxiously about the scarcely populated are. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"Bull," Mal snaps right back, her head still turned so Evie can only see half of the snarl that pulls her lips back from her teeth.

"Mal," Evie insists, tugging a bit harder at her hand, hating that she can still feel the tremble in her body; hates how she can't let go; hates how _weak_ she is…how weak she is and she can still feel the…. "I'm fine."

Mal turns to look at her then, that dark suspicion coloring every inch of her face.

"Now," Evie adds, trying to soften her eyes, her voice. Tries to emphasize Mal's presence over the presence of her thoughts.

Mal softens as well, and it's only a testament to how close they've grown that she can even tell that; in the loosening of Mal's jaw; in the barely-there crinkle in the corner of her eye. And then it's gone again, in typical Mal fashion, but it had been there, and Evie manages that last bit of effort to smile, the shreds of darkness creeping back from her mind.

"I was going to find the boys," Mal says, and her voice is short and determined, her eyes hard. "Found you instead…I guess you'll do."

Evie lets out a sharp bark of laughter at that in spite of herself, and Mal smirks with the corner of her mouth and the light of her eyes.

"There she is," she mutters lowly, relaxing completely from her earlier guardedness. " _Now_ we can go find Jay and Carlos."

Evie shakes her head once in disbelief, jogging after Mal and catching up within a few strides.

"How many times are you going to do that?" she asks, when she's close enough that she can see the left side of Mal's face.

Somehow Mal makes shrugging while running look graceful, and Evie envies the other girl's ability.

"I don't know," Mal replies dismissively. "I only have a limited amount of space dedicated to stupid jokes and a pitiful sense of humor, so…probably not too many more."

Evie splutters wordlessly in response, trying to muster some kind of offense, but she's blushing too hard to make it effective.

Mal smirks a bit wider, her eyes flickering to meet Evie's knowingly before stopping suddenly in the middle of the hallway. Evie trips to make the same stop, and her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she hastily straightens out her dress, hoping no one else saw her blunder.

"Shut up, you look fine," Mal deadpans quickly beside her, and then, "There's a knight we can ask right there."

And she's crossed the hall and approached the knight in question before Evie can begin to process _how_ or _why_.

"Hey, knight," Mal snaps, all bold and bluster and Evie just _can't keep up_. "Where are Jay and Carlos?"

"Together would be the most likely, if I had to guess," Evie finally manages, stepping up next to Mal and trying to figure out where the other girl's thoughts are leading.

"Unless they've been fighting again," is the short reply, and Evie lapses into silence because, really, there's not much she can do.

"What?" Mal says, and Evie blinks at the confused expression on the other girl's face.

"What?" Evie repeats, her own brow furrowing before she quickly corrects and smoothens out her expression.

"You…," Mal trails off with a frown, her eyes darkening with something Evie can't define. "Never mind," she finishes, and turns back to the knight. "Hey! Where can I find Jay and Carlos?"

The knight creaks then, and Evie leans in as the visor lifts, waiting for the response. There is none, however, and Mal growls a curse under her breath, a faint tinge of green lighting in her hands. Evie debates a moment between defusing Mal and backing away for her own safety, and is just about to tug the other girl back from scorching the metal figure when something crackles above them, and the Fairy Godmother's voice rings out.

"Would Mal and Evie please come to my office? Mal and Evie, would you please come to my office?"

Evie freezes, but Mal _moves_ , already halfway down the hall and cursing under her breath, and Evie doesn't know if it's her distance that makes the words sound strange, or the fear.

"E, let's go!"

It's definitely the fear.

She moves anyway, sprinting to catch up to Mal and they've been doing a lot of this lately, she muses numbly as she matches her stride to Mal's. For something that's supposed to be better than their previous life, Auradon certainly has them slipping into it more and more. Mal seems to be thinking something similar, if the hard set of her jaw is any indication, but she says nothing, and so Evie forces herself to do the same.

At least, until they reach the Fairy Godmother's office, and Mal stops dead just outside the door, and all the color drains from her face and eyes.

"Mal?" Evie questions, and she doesn't bother trying to hide the worry in her voice here.

The other girl opens her mouth, then closes it again, her expression pinching so tightly that it looks as if she's about to be sick.

"Jay," she mumbles, though with how tight her face is, the word is almost a groan. " _Fuck,_ Jay…what'd you do?"

"What?" Evie demands, panic cutting through her at the darkness of Mal's tone, at the look in her eyes. "Mal, what?"

Mal shakes her head once and opens the door instead of answering, and Evie doesn't know what to do with the scene behind it except stare.

Stare- at the strange man with strange glasses and strange hair, who, apparently, is not so strange to Mal; who gives him a cursory growl of warning but pays him no further attention than that.

Stare- at the Fairy Godmother; who looks caught between fury and sorrow, hover or protect, scold or reassure, and who herself is also just staring…staring…

At Jay.

Jay, who is not fighting, or yelling, or anything even remotely like he should be.

Jay, who is on the floor of the Fairy Godmother's office. Too quiet and yet, so very loud, his body shaking and a strange, muffled sound echoing from his chest.

Crying.

Evie registers it distantly. It's crying...that's the noise yes, ok, crying is a thing that people do sometimes.

But not Jay. Not…Jay.

Staring is all she can do, and so she does. Even as Carlos looks up from his place on the floor beside them; even as he moves his hands in two simple signs- a 'J' in midair with his pinky finger; followed by taking both hands in fists and bending them away from each other, like snapping something in half- it takes her a moment to fully process it.

Jay.

Broken.

She blinks, but the scene is still there before her, laying it out in terrifying detail. And beside him, Carlos makes the sign again, helpless, as if it's all he can do.

Jay. Broken.

Jay's broken.

Jay is broken.

* * *

 **Mal**

[Jay is broken.]

That's what Carlos signs, over and over again, his eyes wide and terrified. Mal wonders how long they'd been in the Fairy Godmother's office alone; wonders what could have possibly triggered an explosion this big. More specifically, for _Jay_ to explode this big.

Damn it Jay, what have you done? She says. Or, thinks she says. It's hard to focus on any one thing with the tightness buzzing in her chest; a heavy pressure like a scream in the back of her throat; the overall sensation of _hands_ and _wrong_ that definitely aren't her own feelings. Definitely not—

"M," Evie whispers beside her, the other girl's voice making her jump in spite of herself. "You're shaking."

"So is Jay," she raps hoarsely, gritting her jaw against the pain that slams a wave of dizziness through her. "I'm fine," she continues, forcing herself to step forward into the wave, to ignore the way Evie was looking at her. "It's not…it's not me…"

She's not entirely sure how, and she doesn't really care, honestly. Only that right now, one of her crew needs her and _shit_ it was so much worse up close!

"We called you here because there didn't seem to be any other choice," the Fairy Godmother says quietly, and Mal blinks to refocus. "Nothing was calming him down."

"You wouldn't," Mal murmurs, swallowing hard despite the sickening instinct that is not her own that tells her she really _shouldn' .that._

"I take it then, that you're familiar with what is happening?" a gratingly calm voice says. "This isn't unusual to-"

"Yeah, no," Mal cuts across him sharply, eyes flashing as she turns to glare in his general direction. "Don't think I didn't notice that you're _here_ and _near my crew_ when I clearly said that I didn't _want you to be_."

Evie and Carlos both cringe back hard, and Mal would regret making them worry if she weren't already so pissed and worried herself.

"I called him here," the Fairy Godmother says, a bit louder in her firmness. "Because I thought he might be able to help."

"That's not a decision you get to make!" Mal snaps, then flinches at the sudden surge of _fear_ that radiates off of Jay's prone form. "Shit, alright, sorry. Fuck, everyone shut up."

She sounds crazy. She thinks she is crazy; her magic is reacting too strongly and trying to do too many things at once, to protect and _attack_ but also defend and _heal_ and she can't think she can't think she can't think!

"You," she growls, blindly indicating where the cricket stands. "Don't. Move."

He says nothing, and she can only assume that he's actually doing what she asks this time.

"E," she says lowly, and the other girl is all too eager to scurry closer, fear and panic furrowing her brow and lighting up her eyes.

Ok, good everyone was close now, and her magic calmed slightly, satisfied that no one needed protecting now that they were all this close.

"Mal, I-"

"Stop," she interrupts, wincing at how sharp she sounds and quickly adds, "Please," and the Fairy Godmother pauses, then goes silent.

The last bit of anxious magic fades then, leaving only the odd urge to defend and _heal_ , and she turns to Jay, crouching down slowly by his other side.

"Ok, you can chill now, asshole," she mutters to him, focusing on that tickling sensation of her magic and trying to let it spread _outwards_ instead of _in._ "You got everyone around you. Figured that's what you want?"

Jay mumbles something into his knees, and although Mal doesn't _hear_ it, she senses the _horror_ , the _guilt_ , the _pain_ behind it.

"Gonna have to be loud Jay," she says, her magic reacting finally and reaching out like she wants it to. "Never thought I'd have to ask you to be loud, honestly."

He cringes, and a wave of revulsion hits her so strongly it makes her stomach twist.

"Shit, ok," she drawls, blinking at the nausea, not sure if it's hers or Jay's. "Or maybe not. That's fine. It's all fine, Jay. We're all here- all four of us."

Evie and Carlos shuffle forward as if to physically reinforce her words, and her magic finally curls out- just enough to brush against the edges of _Jay_ , and Mal flinches at the sudden onslaught of _i'm sorry i'm sorry i didn't mean it didn't want it it's my fault i did it it's my fault they made me it's my fault!_

It takes all of Mal's admittedly shaky self-control to not pull away, and to continue to connect her magic with the strange, flickering fire that was Jay. But she manages it, and whispers a command into the subtle, green glow.

 _"_ **Dawelwch _._** _"_

For a terrifying moment, she's afraid that it doesn't work, but then Jay relaxes, and she feels her own body echo the shift in tension; stilling the tremors that had wracked both of their bodies.

"Easy," Mal murmurs, as Jay twitches suddenly before going still again. "It's just us. Nobody but us, Jay."

He doesn't come out of it easily, and she _knows_ that each breath, each small shifting of muscle is killing him inside, but another whispered command and a nudge from her magic draws him up enough to finally make out his face.

"Hey," she says, when his eyes flicker blindly, focusing on nothing in particular. "You finally done causing a scene, asshole?"

Someone moves behind her, and instantly Jay's eyes are focusing, the tension and the fear screaming back into his body, his teeth flashing in a petrified grimace.

"No," Mal snaps firmly, shifting herself forward so her knee nudges his side. "Ignore it. Jay? Ignore it. With me." She lets her knee dig into his rib. "With _me_ , asshole."

"Sh-" he groans, his face twisting with too many emotions for her to interpret; too much to _feel_. "Shut…Shut up."

"Oh good, you do still have an attitude," she quips, as lightly as she can. As lightly as she dares. "Had me worried for a second, and you know how much I hate worrying."

"Shut." Jay mumbles again, but that's all he gets out before his face twists sharply.

"Ah shit…Trashcan," Mal says, and it's in her hand and in front of Jay, who pitches forward and retches violently.

Someone gasps softly, and Mal grimaces, but not at Jay.

"Yeah well. Happens sometimes." She doesn't bother to dignify a further response, her magic finally still now that Jay was more or less ok.

"Apparently," Jay pants, still bent over the trashcan, but not quite so traumatized. "Stupid…Auradon food, I guess…."

Mal stiffens so sharply she almost hisses, and she feels the flare of her magic like a sharp spark snapping inside.

"Jay," she says, and she knows it's in her voice too because he looks up at her almost immediately. "What just happened?"

"Hu-I…what do you mean?"

"Just now," she clarifies, trying to be calm but the spark keeps snapping and _they can't be dealing with this now_ , no one was ever supposed to _know_!

"I threw up," Jay says bluntly, a brow lifting to give her a look and _damnit_ why did he have to…

"Yeah," she says instead, ignoring the way Evie presses against her side, ignores how Carlos was trying to do the same despite his distance. "It was pretty fucking awesome. I meant before that, doofus."

He scowls at her then, about to defend against the taunt with one of his own. But then she watches the realization hit him, and he freezes.

"I…don't know."

"How'd you and Carlos end up in the Fairy Godmother's office?" she insists. "What _happened_ , Jay?"

* * *

 **Jay**

Something happened.

He only knows this because of the way everyone was staring at him, and he doesn't like what he sees in their eyes.

"What _happened_ , Jay?" Mal asks, and the way she says it has him feeling like she's done it a thousand times before.

He shakes his head, because it's all he can do, because he _doesn't know_. And Mal looks like she's smiling, but the set of her jaw is all wrong, and he feels more than sees the movement in the room that indicates the other's presence.

"If I might hazard a guess…," a **man's** voice says, and _shit_ if that wasn't the most unexpected thing to hear.

Jay tries to get up, that deep instinct of anger and fear and needing to protect surging up inside, but Mal gets there first, her eyes ablaze with fury as he whirls to face the threat.

"Please do," she snarls, all teeth and flame and danger. "After all that I've done to keep you from interfering…I'd just love to hear what you have to say now."

Evie cries out softly in terror, and beside him, Carlos whimpers, but the man _laughs_. And Jay flinches hard in spite of himself because laughter like that had never meant anything good on the Isle and he needed to find a way up because damn it he wasn't going to let Mal take another beating for him!

"Shut up, Jay," Mal says lowly, and he realizes he's said it out loud, that he's already on his feet.

"Like hell," he bites back, but his skin still feels itchy and raw, and he's not entirely sure of anything at the moment.

"Let's all just calm down."

"No." That's Mal…why is she so angry? "No, you don't get to…you don't."

"Mal," he says, and she turns, and the look in her eyes makes him feel small and he doesn't like it. "You're shouting."

"Oh, am I?" she says, and her teeth flash and her voice is a growl, but her eyes pass right through him and he wonders if it's because that's just the way she glares, or if he's simply gone up in smoke.

Her teeth stop flashing and her eyes flicker like she's looking for him, and he shivers so hard it's like he's shaking himself from his body.

"Shit," he mumbles. "M…Mal…"

"Yeah" she says, and her eyes are water and his body is smoke. "Yeah, I know. I'm working on it, ok?"

"Yeah, ok," he says, but he tries biting lip and his lip isn't there.

"Fuck," Mal hisses, and he wants to flinch but he can't because…

"Shit," he says again, and Mal loses color except for her eyes, which are still a strange watery green.

"Ok," she says, fast and as breathless as he is. "Ok, one thing Jay. One thing."

He knows this. He's done this before. He can do this…he could…but…

"Smoke," he forces out through lips that aren't there. "I'm smoke."

Mal is nothing more than watery green eyes and a thin press of a mouth, but her mouth twists into a strange smile at his words and he's not sure how to feel about it. She comes closer, and her mouth purses and he realizes too late what she's planning and no no don't don't….

"Mal!" he tries to warn.

But she lets out her breath of air and he flinches as he's blown apart…her breath hot on…his face. He…has a face.

"E," Mal murmurs, and it takes a moment, but then he realizes that something's pressed itself against his arm…and he can feel his arm…he can feel himself and everything is pins and needles pins and needles and smoke.

"Shit," he says, and Mal's eye flicker again but she's looking at him and not through him.

"Too much?"

"No." Jay blinks, forcing his mind to ignore the pins and needles. "I'm here."

Mal nods once, but her eyes aren't as watery, and she turns them sharply to the strange man by the door.

"Cricket," she says, and Jay stiffens against Evie, who threads her arm through his and squeezes loosely.

The man stares back, but he looks somewhat cowed facing Mal's anger. Mal stares a moment more before turning, and her eyes flicker as they survey the group before landing on Carlos.

"Carlos," she continues finally, and her voice is tight, but firm as her head indicates the other boy.

The man, or, 'cricket' as he'd been dubbed, blinks a moment before understanding lights across his features, and he adopts a more solemn air as Mal turns to Jay and Evie next.

"Evie. And Jay- but Jay's not really here right now so you'll have to leave a message," she says, then nods her head back towards the man. "That's the cricket. He's…not...dangerous."

"But he's still a threat," Evie snaps, instantly picking up on the other girl's words. "Or you wouldn't have snapped the way you did."

Jay's eyes flicker to take in the man, who meets his gaze evenly, and Jay flinches in spite of himself, averting his eyes quickly and sucking a sharp breath.

"I said he's not dangerous," Mal repeats lowly, and her eyes flash violent green. "I don't know what else he is, but for now..."

"For now what?" Evie cuts across, her voice thick with challenge and fear.

"For _now_ ," Mal replies, her lip curling with the force of her growl. "The Fairy Godmother says he can help. So that's what."

"You can't be serious," Evie hisses, and Mal's expression goes deathly blank.

"Hey," Jay says, registering the danger of being seen as divided and also, the danger of a furious Mal, "Chill, E. Questioning Mal's decisions is my job."

Evie opens her mouth to protest, but Jay leans into her a bit more and she closes it tightly, her eyes the only thing reflecting her turmoil.

"One thing, Jay," Mal says, when everything is silent once more. "Do you think you can actually tell me this time?"

Her tone is mocking, but her eyes are serious, and Jay responds in kind; twisting his mouth in a sneer, while simultaneously gripping Evie a little tighter.

"I already told you I don't really know," he grumbles defiantly. "What more do you want from me?"

"Damn it," Mal mutters, and he thinks he wasn't supposed to catch that, given the guilt that flashes across her face when she meets his eyes.

"I believe I can provide some clarity," the Fairy Godmother says then, her voice shaking, but severe. "At least, in that regard."

Carlos stiffens, and Jay instinctively follows suit, unease curling in his stomach.

"Wait," he says, and he's startled at how raspy he sounds. "Is this something that I…did I do something?"

"What do you mean by that, Jay?" the Fairy Godmother replies, something guarded mixing with the severity of her tone.

"I mean," he snarls, moving to step forward but hindered by Evie's grip on his arm. "Are we all here because I…I'm in trouble? Got in a fight?"

He's just guessing, but the sudden way Carlos dodges his gaze, and the Fairy Godmother's eyes harden slightly makes him pause.

"Oh," he mumbles, shrugging his way out of Evie's arm and pretending it doesn't make him feel suddenly off balance. "Well that's…um…."

"My fault!" Carlos chokes out, so suddenly and so violently it's as if even his stutter didn't have time to catch up. "The ffight…it was my fault my fault my fault."

He jerks his head sharply and grimaces, the stutter finally catching on to the fact that he was talking.

"What do you mean, 'Los?" Jay says, but the boy was refusing to look at him.

"J-j-jay was looking for me," Carlos continues lowly, his voice barely there. "If I had-had-hadn't been…if I had just…."

"What happened? What did he do?" Mal says, and the steel cutting her words makes Jay's skin itch.

"He violently attacked another student and sent them to the infirmary with severe injuries." The Fairy Godmother's own steel clashes hard enough against Mal's to send sparks into the air.

"Ok, and what did the other kid do?" Mal counters, the sparks still suspended but not yet igniting. "Cuz fights don't 'just happen' on the Isle, especially not with Jay. You don't go around looking for a fight without reason; not unless you want to be killed…and Cricket, I _know_ you're taking notes and I would kindly like you to burn them."

There's a pause, and a shuffle of movement that doesn't quite finish before the sound of ripping paper pierces the room.

"That may be the case," the Fairy Godmother finally says, and Jay catches his breath as the sparks dissipate slowly. "But given that those nearby who witnessed the fight said that they heard Jay clearly state his intentions to kill the other student, I would say that the severity of the situation is _quite_ valid."

Jay watches the thoughts race across Mal's face- watches her piece together what he can't. He knows she does when her expression goes blank, her jaw tight even as she deadpans:

"It was the queer kid, wasn't it?"

"His name is Nikhil," the Fairy Godmother's expression is equally tight and pained, and Jay staggers against the wall in an attempt to sit because wait he hadn't he didn't remember- "and his boyfriend is Aziz, and I am honestly at quite a loss with you children and the level of…."

"On the Isle there's two types of people," Mal interrupts, and the harried, anxious sound in her voice is strong enough to spill into her face, her hands shaking at her sides. "The villains…and the ones that even the villains tend to avoid."

Jay can see the 'I don't understand' working its way onto the Fairy Godmother's tongue, but Mal is continuing before she can express it.

"You know how the heroes all use the villains as the 'monster under the bed,' that thing to warn against to scare them into behaving?"

There's a smile on her face, but it's strange and cold and without feeling.

"For us it's the monster right down the street. Entirely unassuming and nowhere near as blatant as you'd think for being so horrifically evil."

"While I understand and accept that there are aspects of the Isle that I just _can't_ understand, how you could _possibly_ equate…."

The Fairy Godmother freezes suddenly, going so pale so fast that Jay feels dizzy just watching her. Or maybe that was just him.

"Is there a fancy, Auradon word for it?" Mal whispers heavily. "That difference? Or is it actually the same and one of us is just too blind to see it?"

The Fairy Godmother is crying, or at least, her face is wet, but she's not making any sound. Mal looks vindictive and tortured in her own right, but she turns and joins the rest of the group in spite of it, pressing close in between Evie and Jay, who all but climb over each other to return the closeness.

"Sorry," she breathes, green eyes locked on Jay. "If I just made it worse. Are you…?"

"No." He chokes, then tries again, blinking to ease the burn of her gaze. "I mean, yeah. I'm fine…I'm here."

She lifts a brow at that, but doesn't question, just presses closer, and Jay tries to let himself just breathe for a bit, but he can't get her words out of his mind.

"Did I really…?"

"We're not worrying about it right now," Mal says, and her voice that's final, but her eyes flicker, and the Fairy Godmother is still crying.

"Cricket," Mal continues after a moment, her voice cautious and laden thick with warning. "The Fairy Godmother says you're supposed to be helpful?"

The man clears his throat, and a ripple of flinching goes through all but Mal, though she does tense minutely before relaxing.

"That…that is my job, yes."

"How would you go about doing that?"

"Would you like me to-"

"I'm not requesting," Mal says quickly, pressing tighter against Jay's side. "I'm just asking. How would you help?"

"Well, first I'd need to establish-"

"No."

Jay hisses, but the sound barely make it out if his throat and instead just echoes hollowly inside. Mal is calm, however, her body still even as she shifts it closer to his.

"No?"

"No history. No 'establishing.' I mean for right now," Mal clarifies, the edge back in her voice. "For right now, how would you help with…this."

There's a pause, and Jay feels Evie shuffle closer nervously, her movement causing a ripple through the group.

"Well from what I've seen so far, it seems that you're doing a fine job grounding everyone on your own…although I've never seen a panic-"

"Jay doesn't panic." Mal's words tighten the feeling in his chest; in his throat. "He just kind of…goes away for a bit."

"You did mention that," the man agrees, "'Jay's not here right now, leave a message…'"

"I thought I asked you to burn those notes."

"And as soon as I have access to a fireplace, I promise I will."

"Um, hey," Jay interjects, not sure how he feels about any of this. "Are you talking about me? Cuz if you are, could you maybe…not?"

"Oh, so you're actually going to participate?" Mal quips, but he can hear the relief that softens the edge of her tone.

"I've been participating," he protests, shoving her with his shoulder and smirking when she snarls at him. "Maybe you just weren't paying attention."

"Dissociation," the man- Cricket- says, and Mal straightens instantly, eyes alert.

"What's that?" she says, and Cricket blinks before replying, taking a step forward.

"Dissociation," he repeats. "I believe that's an accurate description for what just occurred."

"That's the fancy word?" Mal replies, cocking her heads slightly, and Jay allows himself to be shifted backwards with the rest of the group at her signal. "For the thing that Jay does?"

"What do you mean, what I do?" he repeats, but he's ignored, again.

"You don't seem surprised," Cricket murmurs, and Mal clenches her jaw tightly before answering.

"Like I said, it happens. Details don't matter."

"I'm afraid that that's where you're wrong," Cricket says, and Jay bares his teeth at him in warning. No one crossed Mal like that.

"Explain," Mal demands, and Jay shifts himself in a weak attempt to cover Evie and Carlos as the man steps forward again.

"Dissociation is a kind of…defense mechanism for the mind," Cricket obligingly states. "Just like with a panic attack, it's typically triggered when a situation is just so overwhelming it's too much to handle."

"Circles," Mal mutters darkly, eyes sharp and tense. "There's something you're not saying."

"The difference," Cricket responds, nodding his head slowly, his eyes heavy behind his glasses. "Is that dissociation typically is a response to trauma; at such a severity that the only response the brain can think of is to just…shut itself off, or 'go away,' for the moment.

"It can be a useful survival mechanism, but it becomes a problem when it's the _only_ defense mechanism; because then the brain will start to use it to cover even mildly uncomfortable situations…or, situations that seem reminiscent to the trauma-"

"Stop," Jay says, at the same time Mal does.

He's shaking again, and there's a tickling sensation at the back of his neck that makes him feel like he's going to throw up again, and he feels too big for his body, too big for the room.

* * *

 **Carlos**

They're back in the dorms again, this time in the girl's room. He's not entirely sure how they'd wound up there; the Fairy Godmother had barely been able to compose herself enough to dismiss them, let alone make any sort of statement regarding the fight. He chalks it up to Mal and her ability to effortlessly take charge, and he watches anxiously from the shelter of Evie's closet as the other girl paces a furious hole in the carpet.

Evie had locked herself in the bathroom, and Jay sat blankly on Mal's bed, unaware and unfocused.

"Evie," Mal snarls, and Carlos flinches at her tone. "I will break down that door if you don't get out of there right now."

"Just leave-I'm fine, Mal," Evie snaps back, but even through the door Carlos can hear the quiver in her voice. "Just…"

"No," Mal hisses, and she turns another round on the carpet. "None of us are fine, E, and we need to regroup, and I am not leaving you alone so get. the fuck. out."

Silence from the bathroom, then Carlos hears a stifled sob through the wall of the closet, and he tenses as the latch clicks.

"Shit," Mal says, and Carlos stiffens, trying to tuck himself as deep amongst leather clothes as he can. If he was lucky, he could just disappear entirely and not have to face the reality where everyone was suddenly losing control. Breaking was his job; he didn't know how to handle something like this.

" _Shit_ , E," Mal says again, a sigh heavy in her voice. "Ok…hey no, it's fine. It's fine, ok? I'm not… _damn_ …I'm not…I'm not mad…I'm _not_ , I promise…just…we need to regroup…we need to regroup, E…'Los… _fuck…_ Carlos!"

He jumps, biting the inside of his cheek hard to keep himself from crying out.

"Carlos, I need you to check on Jay."

No, Carlos thinks, shaking his head and burrowing deeper into Evie's jackets. No he couldn't…he'd screw it up again and Jay would hate him…more than he already did.

"Carlos, I'm not shitting around," Mal growls, and Evie echoes his whimper. "I need you to check on Jay. Now."

He tries to growl back, but the sound doesn't come out right and he doesn't want to do this!

"Carlos!"

"Do-ing it!" he snaps back, and he thinks he hears Mal mutter something about his tone, but he's too shaken to really care.

Jay hadn't moved from the bed, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular, and Carlos bristles as he passes the open bathroom door, trying to ignore the sound of Evie's sobs; Mal's voice whispering meaningless comfort; the morbid acknowledgment that they really weren't ok, if this is what Auradon had reduced them to…what the Isle had made them into.

"Jay?" Carlos croaks, after he decides that his position on the other side was close enough.

"Hey Carlos," Jay says, and the sound of his voice is enough to set off all of Carlos' anxieties at once.

"Mmal wanted me to check-check-check on you," he mutters, hating how it sounds like a retreat.

"Tell Mal that she can shove it," Jay replies. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Carlos blurts, angry, and not sure why he's angry. "None-none-none of us are! Evie just…."

He stops, but Jay starts, his head jerking like he wants to turn it but he can't.

"What? Evie…?"

"Sshe's upset," Carlos manages, his face twisting with the horrific understatement. "Mal-mal-mal's taking care…it's ok."

"But I'm not?" Jay protests, but he's still not moving and Carlos considers that proof enough.

"Do…do you know wh-where…?"

"Auradon," Jay snaps before he can finish, his jaw tight and lips curled in a scowl. "The girl's room. I'm not fucking stupid, I know what's going on."

"Now," Carlos can't help but point out, a little too harshly.

"What's that supposed to fucking mean?" Jay hisses, and Carlos bristles, frustration building as a growl in his throat.

"It-it-it-it means-"

"Carlos," Mal's voice cuts across like a shot. "I said _check_ on him, not fucking argue!"

"He's fine!" Carlos calls back, but as he turns to face Jay again he realizes that that's not entirely true, as the other boy still hadn't made any sign of actually moving.

"Jay," Carlos says slowly, inching around the bed until he can see the other boy's face. "Wh-why aren't you mo-mo-moving?"

"Hm?" Jay hums, but he'd stiffened further at Carlos' words.

"You havvven't moved," Carlos repeats lowly, his anger fading as fear starts to well up again.

"I can't move," Jay mutters back. "Not allowed to move."

"Ma-al!" Carlos yelps, not caring if it sounds like he's whining.

"Fucking hell…I can't…."

Mal's voice sounds just as broken as he feels, but she appears by his side in an instant, a tearful and shaken Evie in tow. Carlos pointedly tries to ignore the hastily made bandages criss- crossing around her arms (Mal's handiwork for sure; Evie always tried keep things as neat as possible; keep it controlled, keep it hidden); ignores the way it forces awareness back to some of his own scars….

"Jay," Mal says, and though her voice is firm, her eyes are pained.

"I know," Jay growls, and his voice says he's angry, but he's still not looking at anyone. "I know. I'm in Auradon, I know…I'm just…I can't move."

"Why?" Mal says, in that 'I'm not buying your bullshit' tone, and Carlos gently presses himself closer to Evie, carefully maneuvering her to sit on the opposite bed. She sinks without protest, and Carlos casually reaches to fix the bandages because he knows it's bothering her- because it's bothering him- how out of control they all are. But this is something he can at least fix. His fingers brush the edge of a wrap and she flinches, trying to shoot him a glare, but it's too weak…too broken.

"Jay," Mal snaps, and Jay cringes, ducking his head.

"He said…," Jay whimpers, and Carlos pauses mid-tie to glance over anxiously.

Mal grimaces, the pain in her eyes a bit brighter. "Where are you, Jay?"

"Auradon," Jay replies dutifully, but he's still too small. Too quiet.

"And where is he?" Mal continues, a snarl twisting her lips but not her voice.

"Here…not here…. The Isle…."

"Dead, Jay," Mal says viciously. "He's _dead_."

Jay shakes his head slowly, like he doesn't believe it.

"I killed him myself," Mal says, and Carlos wouldn't have believed it as quickly as he does if it weren't for how vindictive she sounds in that moment. "And I'd do it a thousand times over if I could but…he is dead, Jay."

"I know," Jay chokes out, but he's still shaking his head. "He's not here…but he is…he _is_ because I can still…I can't move."

"Fine then don't move," Mal says quickly, and Carlos startles to see that she's crying, tears streaming down her face despite the steadiness of her voice. "That's fine, Jay. You don't have to move. Just talk."

"Talk," Jay repeats blankly, and Mal nods, swallowing hard.

"Yeah," she says, a watery smile that looks too painful to last making its way across her face. "Name five things you're going to steal tomorrow."

"There's this really cool watch I saw one of the princes wearing yesterday," Jay blurts instantly, and there's a glimmer in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "It was silver; like, _actual_ silver, not paint or anything."

"That sounds awesome," Mal murmurs, and Carlos shifts over to make room, and she slumps wearily between him and Evie on the bed. "What else?"

"I found a knife," Jay babbles eagerly, and they all stiffen slightly at that. "A paper knife…opener? Letter opener," he concludes, nodding to himself. "It's not sharp, but it could be useful for a serious fight."

"That's true, knives are always useful," Mal concurs, though she rests her head almost pointedly on Evie's shoulder, threading her fingers tightly through hers and Carlos'.

"The kitchen is still open," Jay mumbles, shifting his weight slowly. "If I get up early enough, we can get some of the bread when it's still hot and oh…"

Carlos blinks, then straightens as Jay suddenly turns around to face them.

"All the teachers put their cups out in the morning so the cooks can fill them with their drinks and stuff right away, so if I time it right…."

"We could get the Biology teacher," Mal finishes, lifting her head from Evie's shoulder. " _That_ sounds like a plan…but first…we need to regroup. Figure out how to play…all of this."

"All of…what?" Jay groans, but then his eyes actually focus, and Carlos feels Evie cringe into his side as Jay takes in her bandaged arms (they're neat now, but not quite hidden). "Fucking hell…"

"Oh don't you even _try_ to give her shit, Jay!" Mal says, eyes flashing briefly with green. "Not after everything you just put us through."

"What _I_ put you through?" Jay splutters, and Carlos growls as Evie shivers hard against him.

"Well let's fucking lay it out, shall we?" Mal snarls. "You got in another fight; this time with enough witnesses that they could actually pin it on you. Not only that, but you fucking up and disappeared again, in front of the Fairy Godmother of all people…so now they're all going to start sticking their faces into everything and asking _questions_ , which we'd been trying to avoid, remember?"

"What are you even…"

"And that's not even taking into account the fact that you and Carlos weren't anywhere near where you were _supposed_ to be in the first place!"

Mal is practically shouting now, though it's dampened by the raw emotion spilling out into her expression, in the tears in her eyes.

"You left Evie alone," she continues hoarsely. "And that's honestly the one thing that I can _not_ forget right now."

"Mal."

Evie's voice is a barely whispered plea that cuts off too soon as the other girl whips her head around sharply; and Carlos grits his jaw against the guilt that threatens to tear out of him in words that he can't say.

"And don't you think I'm letting you off the hook, E," she snaps thinly. "You don't get to scare me like that. You don't get to just…quit…you do not get to do that."

"Hey, whoa, that is _not_ fair, Mal" Jay growls as Evie starts to sob again, but he's just as hoarse, just as raw.

"Ha ha, fucking try again, asshole," Mal deadpans, lips curling. "Start with where _you_ were."

"Me," Carlos chokes out, cringing back from Mal's anger, from Evie's brokenness, wishing he could hide from his own brokenness as well. "It wwwas my fault. I was go-go-go-gone. It was all m-me…all of iit."

"What do you mean, 'Los?" Mal says, and her voice lowers minutely from her fury. "What happened?"

"Oh of course," Jay says snidely, his voice bitter and betrayed. "Be soft with _him_ , why don't you?"

Carlos jerks at Jay's words, but Mal growls, her eyes hard.

"Fuck off Jay! I talked you down twice, I can kick your ass now if I want to."

"Yeah, but I bet you won't get half as pissed at Carlos, even if it was only because of him that I was in the library in the first place!"

"Hades below, you sound like a fucking child right now," Mal says, and Carlos can't even begin to interpret the emotion in her voice. He can barely hang onto his own.

"I don't give a shit about whose fault it was or wasn't, dumbass! I _care_ about knowing whether or not you were safe! I was locked in that damned infirmary for days not able to check in unless you came to me; not knowing what was going on or where you all were, having to trust that everything was fine even though I wasn't there to make it that way. I just…I just want to know if you were _safe_."

She's not angry, Carlos realizes with some surprise. Or at least, not like that, not with them. Scared. They were all scared, and it's such a weird thing to realize because he's usually the one….

"We're safe now, M," Evie murmurs, squeezing her fingers tightly in her own, and Carlos nods, copying the gesture and squeezing her hand.

"Here," he whispers. "We-we're here."

"But you weren't," Mal insists, shaking her head despite the fierce way she clings to them. "You weren't safe and it's my fault because I wasn't there to-"

"Wow, overachieve much?" Jay chimes in, and Carlos shoots his head up as the other boy shuffles over to hover near the edge of the bed.

"It's not all on you, Mal. You're not all powerful, for one- and we're not helpless, for another." His eyes shift down, but not before Carlos can see all the guilt and horror reflected there. "Even if we're screwed up sometimes."

"Jay, just…shut the fuck up and get over here," Mal says, and Jay's eyes flicker before he does just that- shifting around to press himself securely against Mal's back, taking Evie's opposite hand in his own.

"So, to regroup," Mal says as they sink into each other. "We're all fucked up in our own unique ways, and now there's a good chance that everyone in Auradon will learn exactly what ways. Any thoughts?"

"Sleep first, ask deep probing questions later?" Jay suggests lazily, and Evie makes a sound that's not quite a laugh, but is at least not a cry.

"I think I second that," she whispers, and Carlos nods into Mal's shoulder, holding up three fingers.

[Third.]

"Damn," Mal mutters, leaning her head back until it rests against Jay's collar. "Out voted by own crew…what world we live in."

"Shut up and stop moving," Jay complains, shifting his weight to accommodate Mal's intrusion, and pressing himself further against Carlos in the process.

"There is not enough room on this bed to make this work," Mal snipes back, and there's a weary smile in her voice that hadn't been there before. "But you wanted to sleep so you're going to make it work."

They're a sort of half-hazard mess, Carlos muses, as he lets Jay carefully lean against him. But at least they were all a mess together, though he wasn't really sure how long that would last.

* * *

It lasts, as far as he can tell, until about halfway through the night.

He wakes up to the feel of voices, more than the sound. He's still tucked under Mal's shoulder, so her voice vibrates through him before the actual words register.

"We're going to have to talk about the disappearing thing, Jay."

Carlos doesn't know if her voice is heavy because it is, or if that's just how he's hearing it, but he forces himself to keep still and level out his breathing to continue to illusion of sleep.

"No we don't." Jay's voice comes out normally, or at least, it's sound. His voice is actually broken up whispers of emotion, and Carlos doesn't like how it makes the room seem darker than it already is.

"They already know." Mal's hiss is a strange puff of air in her chest. "Us. The Fairy Godmother…the Cricket."

A pause.

"He said-"

"I heard what he said," Jay snarls, then calms. "We don't have to talk about it."

"What happened to you w-"

"No don't you do that," Jay rasps, and Carlos feels him press tighter against his side and has to fight to remain still. "You don't get to treat me like shit and then act like you care."

"I treat you like shit _because_ I care, asshole. And keep your voice down."

"It's not an issue," Jay insists, but he's definitely quieter now. "It doesn't need to be talked about."

"Apparently it is an issue…they've got a fancy word for it and everything."

"Yeah, and do they have fancy words for Carlos? For Evie? For _you_?"

"I bet they do. But _we_ can be subtle about it."

"Bull shit," Jay scoffs, but the sound is tight, like he'd choked more than laughed.

"Subtl _er_ ," Mal corrects pointedly, and Carlos feels her weight shift underneath him. "You just went full scale insane…and I need to know why."

"So you can properly give me shit about it?"

"So I can properly maneuver around it and give shit- and hell- to whoever caused it," Mal says, and Carlos almost holds his breath to hear Jay's response before remembering that he's supposed to be asleep and adjusts again.

"You'd have to do some dark magic shit and bring him back to life, then," Jay mutters sourly, and Carlos feels Mal stiffen sharply.

"How much do you actually…"

"Enough," Jay cuts across, his voice equally stiff. "I remember enough…it's not exactly something I can just forget."

"Except for when you black out," Mal counters lowly. "Then it's hell putting your head back together again."

"Yeah," Jay says shortly, and Carlos can hear the curl of his lip in his voice. "On both ends."

There's silence for a moment, and then:

"So?"

"What 'so?'" Jay argues, and Mal sighs sharply in place of an answer.

"What happened?"

Jay is quiet, for so long that Carlos is forces to be aware of the way that his arm tingles, wedged between Jay and Mal as he is, and he starts to wonder if the risk of 'waking up' to shift positions would be worth it.

"Nothing happened, "Jay finally says. "At least, that's what I keep being told. The only reason I was even in that library was because that's where the knight told me Carlos was."

"And what was he doing there?"

"Something to do with trying to keep us here in Auradon and not get sent back," Jay replies, a bit too sharply, and across from Carlos, Evie shifts with a soft groan in her sleep, causing the remaining three of them to stiffen nervously.

"And after that?" Mal whispers, once Evie settles again.

"I don't know," Jay mumbles quickly, like he's trying to avoid it. "That's kind of where I…you'd have to ask Carlos."

"Oh I plan to." Mal's voice rumbles darkly in her chest. "'Los, what the fuck were you doing in the library and don't you try and fake your way out of this, I heard your breathing change you little shit."

Carlos cringes, but sits up obediently, moving slowly to avoid jostling the group more than he had to.

"What," Jay mutters blankly, before he sucks in a sharp breath and stiffens. "How much did you...?"

He tries to shake his head, to explain or defend, but the words stick somewhere between his brain and his mouth.

"Everything," Mal answers for him, her voice hard. "He heard everything the little fucker."

 _Not everything_ , Carlos tries to protest, withering under the unseen glares he knows he's getting. _I didn't hear everything, I don't know_... But the most he can do is shake his head and this is what he'd been trying to avoid!

"I can only assume you're shaking your head, Los," Mal growls close to his ear. "But I'm going to need you try to answer."

"Did-did-did-didn't hear," he forces out, too quickly, still shaking because that's all he can do. "Only...only..."

"When I was trying to find out why you were in the library?" She finishes, and Carlos slumps weakly in relief, nodding his head against her shoulder.

"Ok," she mutters, and he can feel her relax with him, though Jay is still painfully tense. "That's fine then, we can go from there. What happened, Los? Why weren't you where you were supposed to be?"

"I can fill in that much," Jay chimes in before he can even start to find a way to dodge around it. "Kropp had him. I don't know what for or why, but the fucker did something because when I found him, Carlos couldn't talk again."

"How-how-how?" Carlos mutters dazedly, the only thing he can really get out given the way Jay's words drive his own right out of his reach.

"A little bird told me," Jay deadpans viciously.

"Carlos, explain. now," Mal snaps, and he half wishes that Evie would wake up, just to provide some kind of distraction.

"It's nnnothing," he whispers into Mal's collar in a vain attempt to hide. "Making a big d-deal..."

"It is a big deal," Mal says, and Carlos feels her arm shift, a hand coming up…and instinct drives rational thought out of his mind and he flinches away from Mal's brushing fingers, pain springing up from his imagination and causing him to whimper softly.

He realizes what he's done when Mal freezes, and he shivers slightly, trying to curl up as small as he can on the bed.

"Ssorry," he whines, cursing himself for his fear…for his tongue…for the lack of ability to form an actual sentence and shit that was what _he_ had said and….

"Carlos," Mal's voice is deadly calm, that slow drawl she did when she was going to hurt someone but was trying not to show it. "I'm going to need you to be honest with me for a second because I _know_ what you just did…what that was."

He whimpers again, ducking his head and wishing he were anywhere else but here, or wishing that Mal was just a little less knowledgeable, wishing that Jay would say something, even…anything to detract from his screw up.

"You know I would _never_ hit you, 'Los," Mal continues, vehement even in a whisper. "Which means that _someone_ did and I need you yes or no if it was that _teacher._ "

 _NO_ , Carlos' mind screams. _No, because yes means that he'll be caught, that he'll know it was Carlos who told, that he'll just hurt him worse._

 _YES_ , he wants to say. _Yes, but still no because no means that he won't be caught, that he'll never be caught and he'll just keep hurting and Carlos will just keep failing and he doesn't want to go back to where to talk is to hurt, where to slip up is to scream, where staying silent is to die, suffocating in all the things he is not. allowed. to. say._

* * *

 **Ben**

Ben had long since lost track of the amount of times something involving the villain kids had come up to cause him further anxiety. He almost doesn't want to know what it is; doesn't want to know why his parents had been called to the school in the ridiculous dark of early morning where no human should be awake. Doesn't want to know why _he's_ awake, sitting outside of the infirmary doors while they argue with the Fairy Godmother inside, their voices soft enough to keep the words anonymous, but the general muffled impression of rage and shock still make it through.

His fingers hover idly over the touchpad of his phone, scrolling numbly through the various articles that had already sprung up regarding the 'alleged scandal' the VKs had brought to Auradon; of the gathering of the Council to re-exile them after 'a mere nine days.' He wants to call Audrey and have her wait with him, but not only was it unbearably early, he'd been sworn to silence by a stricken Fairy Godmother, and so he was on his own to wait. Wait and deal with the consequences of his actions.

Something slams inside the infirmary, and Ben sits up sharply as his father's voice booms out with a sudden surge of volume before quieting again. His mother's voice follows soon after, a high pitched wail of sound that has Ben abandoning his bid for calm and scrambling up from his seat, shoving the door open and tumbling inside.

"Ben," the various adults gasp and murmur at his arrival, but he doesn't care about his admitted rudeness.

"What's wrong?" he pants, his heart slamming painful beats of unease throughout his body.

His father stands, his hands hallway through his hair and a twisted look of fury on his face. The gesture familiar as it's the very same that Ben mimics when he's frustrated beyond words. The Fairy Godmother was at the end of the table, her gaze on a small stack of papers resting on the surface; and his mother had been sitting at the table, though she stands when he enters the room, her eyes anxious and pained.

"Ben," she says evenly, not quite looking at him. "Go back and wait in the hall. We'll…we'll come get you when we're ready to-"

"Just tell me what's going on," he cuts across her, not quite sure if he's pleading or demanding. "I already know it's something to do with the VKs, so just tell me what they've done and how it's my fault for bringing them here and how it's all just further proof to send them back-"

"Benjamin!" his mother cries, stern and tearful at the same time and he knows he'd crossed a bit of a line but he's just so tired of all of this.

"We are not sending them back." His father growls vehemence, and Ben snaps his head up so sharply it hurts.

"We're…not…," he repeats, his stomach clenching at the ferocity in his father's voice.

"Sit down, Ben," comes the reply, and he moves sluggishly forward to grip the back of the chair nearest the Fairy Godmother.

"What…what happened?" he asks, trying to catch someone's eye to search for answers there.

The room feels very small all of a sudden, and he has to fight to pull out the chair and actually sit in it. Slowly, the adults do the same, and the Fairy Godmother maneuvers a page around so he can see it.

"A fight," she says, as he pulls the paper, dread twisting his body so tightly it feels like each beat of his heart will shatter him. "At least, to all appearances that was what it seemed."

Ben blinks, his eyes still not quite focusing on the paper before him, the Fairy Godmother's words forcing him to think back to the day before.

"Oh," he finally manages, as he quickly remembers. "Yeah, that…the fight in the library."

He stops there because he senses that that's all he's really required to say. No defense or explanations needed; it's already known and been judged. And yet….

"Everyone is ok now," he tries anyway. "I mean," he winces, wishing he could think clearer about this. "I mean it was horrible that it happened but-"

"Ben," his mother says, and he stops, his jaw shutting tightly as he drops his head back to the paper.

"I called Jeremiah Cricket to come and evaluate the children," the Fairy Godmother says, and Ben idly thinks he's going to make himself sick with the way he keeps snapping his head up and down.

"You…why?" Ben croaks out, then clears his throat. "They're not…they're not crazy."

The Fairy Godmother shakes her head slightly, mystified, but then she sighs and motions to the pages on the table.

"He watched from a distance before stepping in to meet with Mal and the others in person," she says. "These are only some of his earlier observations as the actual notes he took are…being disposed of."

Ben furrows his brow in silent question at her hesitation, but when he receives no response, he obediently returns to the sheet of paper before him. Jeremiah's handwriting is a tiny and barely legible scrawl, but after a moment, certain letters click in his brain, and he's able to piece it together. Nothing too horrific…just simple observations…the closeness of the four…a few stray descriptions of an impression of personalities…

Ben pauses, frowning over the next words. 'Suspected a-' Abuse is the only words he can think of to fill in…the only word he _wants_ to fill in…doesn't want to think about the alternatives. 'Trauma'

He stops, then rereads, his thoughts racing. 'Suspected trauma.' It's all over the pages, now that he's actively searching for them. A small description of some kind and then 'indicates abuse,' or 'indicates trauma.'

"What," he chokes, then tries again, his eyes flickering up to take in the reactions of the adults, who he can only assume have already read the same things he has. "What is this? What is he saying?"

Aside from what you're only just discovering yourself, a part of him chides snidely.

"Specifically, or in general?"

"Um," he says, startled at the strange edge in his father's voice. "Yes?"

"In general," his father continues, that strange edge spilling into his eyes. "He lists a few characterizations of various forms of abuse, and points out where he sees the similarities in the villain children. _Specifically_ ," he snarls, then stops, his voice tightening into something barely audible.

"Specifically," the Fairy Godmother takes over, and though her tone is composed in comparison, it is no less horrified. "He refers to something that occurred in my office after the fight…what at first was thought to be a panic attack turned out to be a severe form of dissociation, and the implications the nature of the attack…."

She trails off with a broken sound for a moment, and Ben takes the opportunity to surface for air while he can, his head reeling as he struggles not to drown.

"Well, it led to a bit of digging," she continues finally, her eyes bright as they flicker back to one of the pages, and Ben starts as he realizes that this one is in her hand, and had not been one of those offered to him.

"Digging?" he prompts, and across from him, his father growls, but it's a grieved sound, and his mother reaches over to squeeze his hand.

"Adam, you couldn't have known," she murmurs, but she too is in pain. "You couldn't have known…it was out of your control."

"I put that bastard there," his father all but roars, his fury only tempered by the self-loathing reflecting in his eyes. "I put them all there, so I'd say it was damn well in my control!"

"Who?" Ben asks weakly, the fact that his father had just cursed not quite registering so much as the other things that had been said. "What did…?"

"A dangerous individual," his mother supplies, when it's clear his father isn't about to answer. "Among others, that we relocated to the Isle with the assumption that…given the fact that the Isle was only inhabited by villains, it would be suitable to…children never needed to be taken into account because they were _villains_ , but…."

Ben was suddenly grateful for his twisting stomach, because he is almost certain that if he'd been any less tense in that moment, he would have been sick.

"The files we have are sparse, but they indicated that at some point…"

"No," Ben says, and his mother sobs, while his father growls his self-hatred from behind her. "No…that's…no."

Because things like that didn't happen. People like that didn't actually exist…couldn't possibly exist outside the realm of monsters in fairytales. But the words continued to mock him from the pages, the Cricket's neat scrawl doing nothing to disguise the facts of 'repeated trauma…repeated trauma…repeated trauma.'

He barely makes it out of the room before he starts heaving.


	28. It's fun to know and to pretend

**Hey guys!**

 **Whew it's been a while since the last update hasn't it? A lot went into this chapter and I had to make sure the timing was right to delve into certain arcs. After a helpful nudge from a couple reviewers I decided what better time than the present. But I still had to do a bit of research to make sure I was going about it correctly and in a way I'd be satisfied with, and hopefully you would all be as well.**

 **Anyway, you know the drill: reviews first, but more important notes at the end so don't skip!**

* * *

 **sunoa: Thank you so much for the kind words and the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much and that you're enjoying my characterization and how I'm portraying everything. The VKs are definitely going to be under some scrutiny (ha, I say some…) but it'll take them some time to realize that scrutiny, when it comes from a place of care, isn't such a bad thing. But first we have to get to that place of care, and that's where things will get a little tough. The Isle certainly leaves its marks, and it's about time for Auradon to learn just how huge those marks are.**

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **tigerladygamer: Haha, I know right? What's with me and actually updating at a consistent time? But don't worry, there will be suffering for Kropp…and then you can eat him. ;)**

 **Benjaminjonathan: Aw thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying everything and think I'm doing such a good job with this story. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **StoryWriting1414: I'm glad you're excited for my updates, haha. I must be doing something right. The truth is definitely going to come out now, though it'll be in stages; I think if it all came out at once Auradon would lose their shit, lol. But there will be some important revelations that will spark further truth and recovery from there so hopefully you'll keep reading and enjoying. :)**

 **SkySorrow : Yeah, there'll be a lot of pennies dropping, lol. I'm glad you think I'm handling everything so well, and that it's not too over-the-top or cheesy. King Beast is certainly going to be doing some soul-searching, I'll say that. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **.Random: Um…thank you. I am sorry though for making you sick, but I am glad you enjoyed the chapter and thought I did a good job. Hopefully you'll keep reading and enjoying.**

 **EvietoyourMal : Thank you so much for your kind words! Honestly I had to laugh just a little bit because here you are, someone with actual experience on all the shit I'm writing about, telling me I'm doing a good job portraying everything. But seriously, thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Gracfully: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **Guest 1: At the risk of spoilers; I am planning on doing some form of Bal, but with a bit of a twist. Bal is not endgame, though, if that answers your question…sorry if that's what you were hoping for. Doing something a little different for this story, though who knows, I might write some Bal in the future. I hope you'll continue to enjoy this story regardless! :)**

 **Descendants5HLM: Oh gosh I forgot how long your review is, lol. Not as a bad thing, I love long reviews so keep them coming…just that now I need to figure out how to be concise with my thoughts to answer and I'm not good and keeping things short. (Exhibit A: this story, ahem.)**

 **I'm glad you enjoyed little Mal and Jay, haha. It was fun to write their interactions. I realized I haven't done a flashback in a while, and there were some important plot points that I was going to reference…and then I realized that I hadn't shown the point I was referencing yet. Oops.**

 **But yes, the VKs do have their own unique issues/challenges, though I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. Jay was mostly saying that as a cheap shot to try and make Mal mad and distract from the fact that he does have some actual issues that need addressing. Mal's main thing, as you might have picked up on, is her need to control everything. Granted, it's a very valid need, but still. Evie…you really just nailed her on the head, honestly, haha.**

 **And I understood what you were trying to say about Carlos, and you did use the word hereditary right. :) Cruella was definitely far from stable, but it's so unclear just to what extent and what 'kind' of instability she had/has, so it's hard for me to pin exactly what Carlos is aside from not quite stable himself. Although as you said, it's funny to see him be so able to embrace and adapt to the stability that Auradon brings while it's the others who don't know how to handle it.**

 **The VKs' stories are definitely angsty (at least, how I'm imagining it) but it's not all bad and I will do my best to make sure that the only ones breaking down are the characters. ;) As for what the adults figured out, the 'people' in question (and I use that term lightly for many reasons) will be revealed as well, but hopefully I won't make you too anxious until then, and that you'll continue to enjoy what I come up with. :)**

 **narutogirl103: Yeah, just a bit messy, lol. But don't worry, there'll be some fluffy resolutions. But first…mess. ;)**

 **Yassyisthebest: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and it means a lot that you think I'm doing such a good job portraying everything. It makes me happy to hear that you look forward to my updates, and I hope you will continue to look forward to my chapters and enjoying them. :)**

 **Nyehhhh: Thank you for the review and the kind words. I'm so glad you're enjoy my story and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Codelulu-chan: Haha yes, lots of evil tea parties. Full disclosure is…actually not that far off, though it'll still take some time for revelations/recovery/healing. But they're getting there. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **AngstDraggy: Oh don't you worry, Kropp will be getting his due! And yes, King Adam is backing off a bit. He's still going to be stubborn on some things, but with this at least, he realizes that he can't just hide from this glaringly obvious reminder of his mistake(s). Angst and feels galore! ;)**

 **Guest 2: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you think this story is amazing and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **LuffyLover: No, it's not bad at all, haha. I'd say you're not the first one to feel that way either, and it was definitely a cuddle puddle, lol. ;)**

 **Jemms: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like the Cricket, since I wasn't too sure about my inclusion of him. But seeing as I'm trying to give it as realistic a take as I can (for fanfiction), I figured there was going to need to be some kind of actual steps for support being taken, and it came in the form of the Cricket. (Among other things, but I'm getting ahead of myself.) Mal is kind of already cracking, just a bit. She's not the type to completely lose control of herself/others, but she is definitely cracking. Hopefully the angst won't get the better of you and that you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Guest 3: It is exactly like that saying, haha. And yes, I'm definitely keeping away from the stereotypical 'fairytale.' It's funny, traditionally, fairytales actually were dark and gritty, and didn't really have happy endings. Fairytales were supposed to be lessons and warnings for children about the darkness in the world and teach them how to prepare for and deal with it. I'm not sure exactly when/how the shift into sappiness came from, but yeah, I'm sticking with the traditional dark and gritty, lol.**

 **The others will be learning things too, don't you worry. A bit less suddenly as the adults, but secrets will definitely be revealed, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **Me smiles: I actually debated for a bit whether or not to actually send them back to the Isle, but then decided that for what I'm trying to do with this story, they kind of need to be in Auradon, lol. ;) And don't you worry, there will be some reveals for everyone, though we will get Jay's too.**

 **As for Mal, she is certainly cracking under the pressure, though at the time, they all were cracking up and breaking down in their own ways, and so they were kind of wrapped up in their own break downs to fully realize/acknowledge that Mal was close to crying too.**

 **But don't worry, there's a little bit of comfort to go with all the angst, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **MyFavoriteObsession : Thank you for the kind words! And yes, Evie's relapse was really…heartbreaking...**

 **I'm really glad (read: relieved) to hear that you enjoy the way that I write Evie to be honest, and that you actually want more of her. I am definitely doing my best to give all the characters their time, but especially Evie because she's so hard for me to write on a personal level. But there will definitely be more of Evie to come as we start to get into the VK's backstory/recovery arcs, so look forward to that and hopefully you'll continue to follow along and enjoy. :)**

 **BlueMoon007: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, even though everyone is breaking down. King Adam is certainly a complicated one, though he's starting to learn from his mistakes and he's definitely going to be working to make good. And yeah, it seems the Cricket is definitely one that everyone likes…which is good, since he's kind of going to be super important so yay. ;) I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **ilovetowrite4156: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, even though it was pretty heavy on the angst. Hopefully you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **Random Reader: Thank you so much for the kind words! I am definitely working towards getting published but in the mean time, fanfiction is pretty awesome too, lol. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy my work!**

 **Ravenclawesomelovegood : *clears throat while wrapping blue and silver scarf tighter around neck* Love your username. ;)**

 **Thank you for the review and the kind words. I'm really glad you're enjoying my story, even if it is dark. It's definitely something I knew I wanted to really dig into since, as you said, the movie was good but lacking, especially since Disney really had this awesome opportunity to kind of bring awareness to things like dysfunctional/abusive families in a way that could have provided hope and relief for the 'happy ending' and healing that comes after. But they didn't, which is why I'm doing it. ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **FlatFox: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. There will definitely be more break downs, lol, but also some more of Ben realizing that not everything is a fairytale. Poor kid…he's gonna have a rude awakening…. As for your question, Mal killed the 'bad guy' (as he's been referred to in the comments) that Jay was abused by. (He's just called 'the Persian,' in the story) I referenced it briefly in flashback form and then Jay mentioned it in passing, but I plan on having an actual flashback addressing it as well.**

 **And you don't have to wait too much longer because the new chapter is here! ;)**

 **The disney princess: Honestly I felt the exact same way. It was an amazing concept, and it was definitely not given the justice it deserved being made a children's show. That's exactly what I was trying to go for, too, because yes the VKs hate the Isle and Auradon sort of lingers as this far off dream where they won't be in constant pain anymore, and yet at the same time there's this undercurrent of loathing/resentment because Auradon literally threw them away and left them to die. (But no hard feelings, right?)**

 **It really means a lot to hear that you enjoy my story so much, and don't you worry about taking up space. Long winded reviews are my favorite because it means I've done a good enough job that someone wants to rant about it. ;) In answer to your wishlist, all I'll say (for risk of spoilers) is that most if not all of it will be addressed very shortly actually, haha. I definitely don't plan on letting any of that slide. (Pointedly ignores the other plot points I actually have let slide….)**

 **And as for the barrier, I have a head canon that it kind of works like a candle. You know the jar candles with lids? And how you can snuff the flame by putting the lid back on, suffocating the flame but leaving the smoke trapped in the glass? My head canon (both for this story and just in general) is that the barrier doesn't take away the magic from those who possess it/wield it/born with it running in their veins; it just smothers them until they suffocate. So the magic is still 'there,' but impossible to spark into a flame because the barrier renders it smoke- useless.**

 **I hope that clears some stuff up, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Zuzana: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoy my story so much. Hopefully this update came soon enough for you and that you'll keep reading and enjoying.**

 **Guest 4: Thank you for the kind words and the suggestion. You're not the only one concerned about my pairings, lol, but don't worry, although I mentioned that I was going to follow 'canon pairings,' I did say that I was going to twist them too. Bal is not endgame though, if that will help soothe your mind. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Time Turner: I know, I hate seeing them all so broken and upset. Which is ironic…since I'm the one who's making them so miserable. But there's a bit of a cuddle/comfort pile in this chapter if that makes you feel better. There's also a shit-ton of angst but the fluff is still very fluffy! :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **A : Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying my little twists so much. I definitely will be focusing a lot on some backstory in these next couple chapters, both for clarity of plot and just because I realize I haven't done flashbacks in a while, lol, so you will definitely have your Evie flashbacks. ;) And more Malvie is also in this chapter, though whether or not that's a good thing I'll let you decide…**

 **Thank you again for the review and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **lol yolo65: Aw thank you so much for the kind words and for leaving a review. I'm really glad you like my story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Robby the Cyber Warrior: Haha, well Mal most definitely inflicted pain on the Persian, but if you want I can resurrect him from the dead for you to torment more? ;) I'm glad I made you feel so strongly, lol. Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Woohoo: Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying my story and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Guest2.0: Welcome to the story and thank you so much for taking the time to review! I'm really happy to hear how much you're enjoying, and that you're liking how I'm portraying/handling all the characters. And yeah, I saw the movie and didn't really like how they did Chad or Audrey, and it was one of the things I resolved to 'fix' with my story since I thought it was just really unfair how they were treated/portrayed. The 'snooty rich kid' cliché that leaves no room for character development or tragic backstories outside of being an asshole….hate it. Destroyed it. Looking for the next cliché to destroy.**

 **Oh, right…you mentioned Ben/Mal. *chuckles wickedly* Yeah the whole, 'terrible/tragic life is suddenly made not so terrible by the charming prince/love interest to the rescue.' I both love it from a sappy standpoint, but also hate it with a fiery burning passion because it's just…anyway. I'm doing Ben and Mal, but not Ben/Mal, if you catch my drift. Actually am leaning more towards Mal/Evie which is funny because I hadn't intended for that pairing to happen when I started, but the characters kind of gravitate really strongly towards each other for the very reasons you mentioned, and it's kind of hard not to ship them especially given D2 and…ahem. Getting too far ahead of myself. Point is, no romantic Ben and Mal for this story. ;)**

 **Anyway, I'm really glad you're enjoying and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **alex: Thank you so much for the kind words and the review! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story so much.**

 **As for your question, Mal was introducing the Cricket to her group, which is important/significant because when she first met him only a few hours before the scene takes place, she's terrified of him, and also (trying to) threaten him _away_ from her group. So then she's thrown into this conflict of a situation where she has to protect her group from themselves, while also protecting them from (the perceived threat of) the Cricket. But she realizes that she can't actually do it all on her own (at least in that moment), and so then she turns to the Cricket and introduces him to her group-letting him in to a small extent-while still making it clear that her group is _hers_ , and he can't get any nearer than she's allowing; which in the scene extends to knowing their names and nothing else. And the Cricket realizes how important and huge it is of a step that Mal is introducing him, and he does his best to defer to her authority while still trying to help, since that's his job. :)**

 **I hope I was able to make it clear and that I didn't just confuse you more, haha, and that you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes!**

 ** **Ok guys so this chapter's **WARNINGS** are pretty standard; language, brief violence/threats of violence, mentions, references and descriptions of child abuse/neglect, as well as dealing with mental health issues such as anxiety/panic attacks, depression, brief mentions of suicidal thoughts/implications of suicide attempts, and the aftermath of the recent chapters involving self-injury/self-harm, the effects of trauma and dissociation, as well as mentions/references to sexual assault and rape, and its effects.****

 ** **Be warned this chapter is intense. It has its humor and light fluff moments as well, but this is definitely sort of the 'turning point' chapter where backstories will start to be revealed and 'things will never be the same again.' It was definitely not easy to write (literally agonized over writing certain sentences for a good 20 minutes), and there may be some triggers as I do kind of unflinchingly (or rather, the characters do) dig into some of the darker, harsher aspects of the Isle and just what Auradon has left these children to. Nothing graphic, but it's certainly not implied, and I just wanted to let you all know to be aware of it and tread cautiously.****

 ** **That being said it's not all horrendous and some important developments are definitely being made, so I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think!****

* * *

 **Note 2: I forgot to mention the magic word in the last chapter, but the spell/incantation that Mal muttered in the Fairy Godmother's office last chapter was _"D_** _ **awelwch,"**_ **which is Welsh for 'silence/grow calm.'**

 **Note 3: Alternative title for this chapter was 'If you could get by trying not to lie,' but I felt it didn't cover enough of what was actually going on all around, so...Nirvana it was. ;)**

* * *

 **Also, if anyone is interested, the songs that inspired this chapter are: 'Savior' by Rise Against, 'All I Wanted' by Daughter, 'Fossa' by Daughter, 'Make a move' by Icon for Hire, and 'No one's here to sleep' by Bastille.**

 **Anyway enough out of me, enjoy the chapter.**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **Chad**

It doesn't take Chad long to realize that something is up. The VKs are suspiciously absent from breakfast that morning, for one, and so are Doug, Ben and Audrey for another; leaving him to fend for himself as the so called 'head' of the table. A table that consists of himself, Jane, and Lonnie- both girls anxiously discussing something amongst themselves- and an extremely belligerent Aziz, who was only sitting with them because Nikhil was. The other boy hadn't wanted to risk running into Jay, Chad had been told conspiratorially by his roommate's boyfriend. Not for anything that Jay would do, but rather, because Aziz was (justifiably) livid, and was afraid of what he would do if pushed.

But the entire thing was too strained even without the VK's presence, and Chad is painfully aware of the fact that the Council was gathering today. They'd all arrived at some point during the night, his own parents including, though he'd yet to hear from them. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that yet; not willing to unpack the years' worth of silence that he'd oh-so willingly created. It's not that he didn't talk to his parents…it was that he didn't talk enough- not about the things that mattered…and the pressure that this current silence was building up was way too much and he wasn't going to do this.

"Ok, nope," he blurts, shaking his head and drawing the startled attention of the table. "It's way too quiet and I know we all know what's going on so…can we please just…talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" The grimace that had already been tugging at Aziz's lips spread fully across his face at Chad's words. "As far I'm concerned, the VKs have made it clear where they stand, so why shouldn't we?"

"Don't do that," Nikhil murmurs sharply, his own lips twitching into a frown. "Don't turn on them over…."

"Over this?" Aziz retorts, his eyes dark as they flicker pointedly over his boyfriend's still-bruised face.

From what Chad had heard, his nose had been badly broken and he'd had a concussion, which wasn't so surprising given his face had been so swollen he was barely recognizable. The fairies had worked their magic, and the worst of it was healed, but some of the bruising still lingered around his eyes.

"Of anyone, I'd have thought you'd be more pissed," Aziz continues, and Nikhil winces slightly, but presses on anyway.

"I'm definitely pissed," he mutters, his fingers idly twisting his napkin. "My head is killing me, so I can't look at the sheet music on my tablet for long, and I've been working on this one song for weeks."

"Nikki be serious!" Aziz hisses, and Chad notes the distinct shifting of heads in their direction and leans over to kick the other boy's leg.

"Hey, keep your voice down," he hisses, ignoring the glare his kick elicits. "Not everyone needs to hear about the latest scandal just yet."

"I was being serious," Nikhil whimpers, when Aziz quiets. "Do you know how hard it is learning Radiohead by ear?"

"What?" Lonnie snorts indignantly, a laugh twinkling in her eyes as Aziz splutters. "It's like the same two chords, the heck are you talking about?"

"Paranoid Android," Nikhil deadpans lowly, and both Lonnie and Jane grimace sympathetically.

"I hate you," Aziz groans, his head between his arms.

"That's not what you said last night," Nikhil fires back with a smug grin, laughing as he reaches across the table to accept Lonnie's high five.

"Guys," Chad snaps, clapping a choking Jane on the back. "If we could all be serious for a second…"

"Come on Charming, that was a good one!" Lonnie interjects.

"Forgive me if I'm not in the joking mood," Chad growls, his tone succeeding where his previous words hadn't in silencing the table. "But the Council is meeting this afternoon and we don't have a plan, or a leader to execute it, and considering that it was you guys who dragged me into this, I'd have thought you'd be more concerned!"

"Now who's making a scene?" Aziz mutters, but he's far more subdued, now.

"We are concerned," Jane snaps with surprising ferocity, her light eyes flashing darkly at Chad. "But like you said, we don't have enough of a plan, so I don't really know…."

"Anything is better than nothing," Chad insists through gritted teeth. "So…what do we have?"

"We have four volatile and damaged villain kids, who've both attacked and hid from us," Lonnie chimes in, her tone shaky, but no less solemn. "And as much as we always emphasize their villainy, I think it's also important to remember that they're kids; just like us."

"But not like us," Aziz counters, his eyes glued to his tray. "Not enough like us for the Council to recognize that fact."

"If they're not like us, it's because of people like the ones on the Council!" Lonnie fires back hotly, and Chad coughs to cover the way his stomach flips at her words.

"Not everyone on the Council, of course," she amends quickly, paling as she leans back into her seat. "But…most of them."

Jane clears her throat pointedly, and reddens when the attention shifts to her. "Sorry, was just ah…since Audrey's not here to do it for herself…."

"That's the real problem, though," Nikhil mutters. "The Council's not going to want to listen to anything we have to say because they've already made up their minds. They're biased and prejudiced against things that happened in the past, and there's no way they'll be able to look past that to see that the VKs are different."

"Are they?" Chad can't help but respond. "I mean, like Lonnie said, the most they've done since they got here was lash out."

"And whose fault was that, though?" Jane says, and Chad's stomach flips once more, with guilt.

"I know," he replies lowly. "I caused a lot of shit, but these are all things they're going to look at, too. We have to be able to prove that there's good that's come out of it, somehow."

"What more proof do you need than what's already there?" Jane says, her fingers twisting in her hair despite the firm tone of her voice. "I mean, it's obvious that VKs aren't the same as when they first arrived; that Auradon's already done them good."

Aziz chokes obnoxiously, and Nikhil shoots him a brief frown, which is returned with equal frustration.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm not as willing as you to overlook-"

"I'm not overlooking it, babe, believe me," Nikhil retorts, his eyes sharp where his voice was calm. "But I'm also not going to rush to hang them when there has to be a reason."

"Um, I think the reason is obvious enough," Aziz spits, his lips curling in a furious grimace.

"I thought so at first too," Nikhil says lowly, his tone turning almost brooding as he shifts his gaze to the table again. "But when I replay it all in my head, one thing just doesn't add up."

"And what's that?" Aziz replies, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his jaw.

"Jay wasn't angry," Nikhil says, and Aziz blinks, his stiff posture breaking slightly.

"What do you mean?" Chad asks, frowning across the table at the other boy.

"Just that," Nikhil says bluntly, lifting his eyes to flicker around the table. "He wasn't acting all offended or angry or anything like that when he hit me. I mean, yeah, I made it worse by insulting him so I might have deserved that first one," he mumbles, running a shaking hand through his hair. "But after that…it wasn't anger in his eyes…it um, it was fear."

"What?" Aziz snaps, but he's more bewildered now than anything, and even Chad feels his brow furrow with his own confusion.

"What, you're saying, Jay was scared of you, and that's why he attacked you?"

"That's bullshit," Aziz says, but even he's uncertain now, Chad can see it in his eyes. "The VKs have all made it clear that…."

"Wait," Jane says, one hand out as though to physically stop the conversation. "Wait, hang on."

Her face is pale, her eyes wide as she stares intently at her tray, and Lonnie shifts in her seat to lean closer to the younger girl, her features pulling down in concern.

"Jane?"

"It's just…something Carlos said…back when he first joined our table…do you remember?" She jerks her head up to stare at Aziz. "And you had said you had to find Nikki, and he asked if that was 'allowed' here. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah," Aziz drawls, shaking his head slowly, not quite comprehending. "We kind of figured out what that meant."

"No," she says sharply, shaking her head. "No, I don't think we have. I think…I think things on the Isle are a lot more complicated than we've given them credit for."

"Credit for?" Chad repeats, shaking his head. "Jane, no offense, but you're not making any sense."

"In the gardens, after…after everything went down…he made a comment that relationships like that…that people like that on the Isle…were 'perverted.'"

"Good to know what they really think of us," Aziz deadpans, and Jane shoots him such a filthy look it scares even Chad.

"Like I said," she says slowly, enunciation in a deliberately calm manner. "I think there's more to it that were not seeing, and I think it's unfair to judge until we know all the facts."

The only trouble with that, Chad thinks, is what happens when they finally did learn all the facts.

* * *

 **Mal**

If she'd known that Auradon beds were this comfortable, she would have stayed on the floor. As it is, she's having a hard time remembering why she needed to get up, comfortably wedged amongst her crew as she is. They hadn't had a chance to be close like this since...well, since forever, really, and the moment isn't lost on Mal. She lets her breathing slow enough so as not to break the steady rhythm they have going; a soft snore from Carlos as he exhales, meets Evie's gentle inhale, while Jay's exhale rumbles just underneath, Mal's breathing riding along the waves like a raft.

Mal idly shifts the fingers of her left hand through Carlos' curls, the smaller boy nestling a bit further under her chin at her touch. He smells different; like night-sweat and boy, but there's something soft and minty underneath it all that is so foreign it takes her a second to process it _._ It had been so long it was easier just to say they had never been clean, and she's so used to the thick must of stale earth, stale blood, stale tears that had been their normal scent that the loss of it is alarming. Alarming, but comforting, and she lets a soft smile cross her face as she relishes the simplicity of the moment.

They'd never been safe enough to do something like this back on the Isle, and she knows that when they do get back, the chances of them doing this again are nonexistent. It's not that she doesn't like Auradon (Mal actually thinks she might like it too much), but she's not going to kid herself with some delusion that they'll get to stay. She knows how these things work.

Jay stirs at her back, his movement triggering a ripple as Carlos nuzzles closer into the hollow of her throat, and Evie squirms that much further against her hip. Mal stiffens slightly on instinct, panic tightening the air in her lungs before she reminds herself that it's _Evie,_ and she can breathe again. Jay murmurs sleepy nonsense into the back of her neck and she turns her head just enough to catch the crease in his brow, and has the sudden urge to press her thumb to it and watch the way it collapses under her finger. But to do that would mean moving, and she's too comfortable. Instead, she occupies her other hand with tracing the curve of Evie's jaw, and the other girl sighs softly against her side.

In the crook of her arm, Carlos continues to snore softly; Jay's solid presence at her back warm and gentle despite the contrast of temperatures: his feet bare and cold where they tangle with her legs. Evie's cocooned awkwardly; half in between the two of them and half on top, her hair tickling along Mal's ribs and her breath alternating short bursts of heat against her waist.

This is what Auradon can give them, Mal thinks ruefully. Soft beds and the support and safety to be close with each other. Food that isn't rotten or poisoned, and clean water and people who don't wait for the smallest opportunity to cause them pain. And yet she also knows better than to cave to the illusion of luxury. Knows that Auradon has already caused them pain, and that this very afternoon will most likely cause them even more. But there's a small, childish part of her that wishes...

*tap tap*

It's a quiet noise; a bird or something like that just outside the window, but it's more than enough for their Isle-honed senses.

Carlos jerks awake first, eyelashes tickling her collarbone as they flutter rapidly open. Evie is next, bolting upright with wide eyes, fingers scrambling first to comb through her hair, and then to tug at her sleeves, face flushing almost as red as her pendant. There was something not quit right about the way the other girl completed the movements, and Mal eyes Evie cautiously, fingers tugging at Carlos' hair with distracted playfulness.

"Well good morning to you guys, too," Mal murmurs slowly, nudging her shoulders obnoxiously against Jay's face as she leans back, wondering why he hadn't been the first up.

"Mal." Evie blinks, and Carlos whines as he frees himself from her grip before collapsing back against her in relief.

"Morning?" he mumbles, his voice muffled by her hair. "Is that why the sky is being wweird?"

"Yes Carlos," Mal dead pans, lips quirking wryly upwards as Evie's eyes meet hers. "The sun actually shines in Auradon, so the sky lights up like it's supposed to in the morning."

"I don't wanna get u-up," he whines, rubbing his face against her neck again and Mal's annoyance finds her quickly because it was cute when they were sleeping but they're awake now and Jay still isn't moving.

She shoves her shoulder sideways, and Carlos yelps as his cheek meets the rounded edge of bone, but Mal ignores him and scowls at Jay, giving into her previous urge and poking hard at his forehead.

"Jay, get up. It's morning, dumbass and we're all up, so you don't get to just lay there."

His face scrunches up at her touch, his hand coming up to swat her fingers away. He misses and ends up brushing her wrist, but she pulls her hand back anyway, slightly amused as he glares up at her.

"It's too bright," he mumbles, and Mal rolls her eyes at him.

"You're just saying that cuz you heard Carlos say it. It's not gonna work. As nice as this bed is, we have shit to do today."

"Or we could just stay here and not do shit?" Jay suggests, and behind them, Evie chuckles as she slips out of bed.

"I never would have thought I'd see a day where Jay doesn't want to cause trouble," she says through a luxurious stretch.

Mal lets out a brief noise of agreement, scrutinizing as she watches the smooth curves of muscle. There's a tightness there even after Evie completes her stretch, and the corners of Mal's eyes twitch with the urge to narrow as she tracks the other girl's movements. She was too tense- her body wired with a strange nervousness that made Mal's skin itch.

"Jaay!" Carlos whines, bouncing on the bed like the child he never got to be. "The p-p-p-potion, remember?! We're doing it today!"

"Hm?" Jay hums, blinking, and Mal doesn't need to force the relief as the older boy finally shoves himself upright. "Oh. Yeah, right. That thing."

"Comme on!" Carlos yelps giddily, landing haphazardly on the floor and darting around Evie on her path to the mirror. His eyes are bright with glee as he goes to tug at Jay's arm, and Mal rolls her eyes at the other boy's antics.

"Let's get-"

But he barely gets the words out before Jay freezes, jerking his arm with such force that Carlos is flung onto his back on the floor.

"Woah, hey," Evie snaps, jumping up from her seat at the mirror to aid the other boy.

"Jay," Mal says, on her feet now too and hating everything all over again. "Apologize to Carlos."

She doesn't know if it's an Auradon thing or a 'we don't hurt each other like that' thing that prompts her words, but below her, Evie scoffs and fixes her with a sharp look.

"Yeah, that will do something," she hisses scathingly, and Mal blinks and hardens her resolve to figure out just what is going on with Evie, but at the same time ignores her because it _is_ supposed to something.

Acknowledging that you did something wrong and expressing regret for it. That's what the Fairy Godmother said apologizing was all about and sure, the Isle didn't have a single use for something like that but at least in Auradon they tried.

"Huh?" Jay says, wincing as he turns his head to look at her, and she hardens her own glare to hide the way her stomach falls at the blank look in his eyes.

"You pushed Carlos," she says deliberately, enunciating it, making it clear.

It's not the regret she's looking for-it's the acknowledgement.

"He's on the floor," Jay mutters, looking down, and Evie's next scathing remark is halted by the sharp flash of green in the glare that Mal throws her way.

"You put him there," Mal says, not keeping her eyes off Evie, trying to probe, trying to _understand_.

"I...I did," Jay says, not quite question, and Mal debates a second more before deciding to let her magic search for her.

It's still nowhere near as strong as when it attacked in the garden, but she doesn't need strength right now, she just needs to _see._ She can sense the way it's tugging again, like it _needs_ something, too, and she gives it the attention it wants and waits. It's odd; like a tickle in the back of her mind, but when she focuses it back she's startled by faint tinge of color that radiates from Jay's upright form.

He's still there, still solid and very much _Jay_ , but there's an ever so slight splash of orange radiating off of him. Which is…interesting- but the sight of it makes her uneasy, because she somehow knows that he shouldn't be this dull orange; her magic flaring anxiously at the color and further emphasizing the sense of wrongness.

"Jay," Mal says again, and her magic snaps in her voice like it had in the Fairy Godmother's office. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy that feeling of power just a little bit, _but now isn't the time._

Jay's head snaps up just like it had then, too, though his eyes are a bit clearer, not tinged with the panic of remembered horrors.

"Hm?"

His voice is too soft in that hum, and it would make Mal angry if it weren't for the fact that she knew he wasn't quite ok.

"What's up with you today?" she asks, instead of letting the anger and the power take over. "You're being all distant and moody. Like Evie."

"Huh-hey!" the other girl cries, the delayed indignation making Mal snort in spite of herself.

"Sorry," Jay says, and there's a hint of a smile pinching his lips together. "But she's not wrong. You can be a bitch sometimes, E."

"Excuse _me_!?"

"His words that time," Mal defends, lifting her hands in surrender as Jay snickers on the bed.

"I'm killing both of you," Evie growls, and Mal honestly wouldn't put it past her in that moment, with the way the air around her suddenly shifts to a dark violet flare.

"You're not killing Jay until he apologizes," Mal says, and Jay's laugh peters out, the orange brightening around him.

"What'd I do now?"

Carlos waves from the floor and Mal jerks her chin at him sharply, scowling, and he blushes as he scrambles to his feet, avoiding her eyes.

"Carlos tried to get you out of bed and you pushed him," she repeats, and Jay blinks, the orange around him flickering slightly-fading.

"Oh. Um…sorry, 'Los," he mutters, and Carlos peeks up just enough for Mal to see the helpless look he throws her way. She nods her head pointedly in Jay's direction, and Carlos frowns before shuffling his feet and dropping his eyes again.

"It's wh-whatever," he says, shrugging as he shoves his fingers through the hem of his shirt.

"Damn it, no. Don't you start this shit again," Mal snarls, hands clenching, and everyone jumps slightly at her tone. "I am _not_ doing this again so E, if you've got a problem, say it. 'Los, go get dressed: Evie stashed that vest thing you liked in her closet somewhere. Jay, you too, get ready for school and work out whatever it is you and 'Los did to each other."

"Yes mom," he sneers, but Mal feels her magic loosen its death grip on her gut as he lifts himself off of the bed, the orange shifting to a more gentle red.

Carlos hesitates a moment before darting to where Mal had directed him, a tiny noise of pleasure rolling up from his throat as he tugs a white sweater-like vest from the closet, black splotched across it in a chaotic design reminiscent of spots without being quite so obvious.

"I fixed the hole in the shoulder, so it's almost new." Evie can't help but brag as Carlos grins over at her, and Mal would let herself get caught up in the moment again if it weren't for the _edge_ in the other girl's eyes; in her voice.

"Jay, 'Los. Out," Mal grits out, and Carlos falters before making for the door, all too eager to escape, and Jay scoffs but saunters out after him anyway, the door closing with a soft click.

Outside the window, the bird that had tapped them awake decided to start chirping, and Mal would have found a way to fry it to a crisp except it was kind of a neat sound. That and Evie, of course, the other girl's eyes piercing into her from across the bed.

"Go ahead, E," Mal drawls, refusing to give the full eye contact she knew the other girl was trying to get.

"You need to think before you make decisions that affect the whole team," Evie blurts, and though the words are sudden, the calculated coldness with which they're said is not.

 _Damn, E, wasting no time, as usual._

"Is there something specific you wanted to address or is this just general dissatisfaction?" Mal says tightly, a humorless smile stretching her expression as she paces across the room. "Because as you might have heard, questioning my decisions is Jay's job."

"Ok, being specific then," Evie snaps hotly, face red, and Mal would flinch at the venom if she hadn't been so used to hearing that same tone from her mother. "You're not the only one with experience, and you don't get to make all the decisions for the group like yours is the only one that matters, and expect everyone to just fall in line and agree like that."

"Still just hearing shit," Mal replies, turning to stare just over Evie's shoulder and ignoring the way it makes the other girl's jaw clench. Ignores the way it makes her stomach clench. "I thought you said you were going to be specific."

"Mal!" Evie cries, voice shrill with fury. She's shaking with the force of it, face flushed and a wild air about her that's almost desperate.

It's enough to make Mal pause- not hesitating, no, but certainly a pause because she's _seen_ this look on Evie before. She casts her mind back, remembering the way Evie had held herself as she'd gotten out of bed. It had been slow and subtle; but deliberately so- trying to draw attention without actually drawing attention, and then feigning embarrassment when she's actually noticed. It's a simple misdirection tactic that they'd all used in some capacity back on the Isle, but Evie had mastered it to single-handedly take the Isle by storm.

Seeing it on the other girl now makes Mal's hackles raise because what was she trying to distract from? And that _look_ …Mal stiffens, mind flashing back to the night before because…it had been the exact same.

She keeps her gaze straight but scans Evie from the corner of her eyes. Evie is watching her with the same intensity; despite the painful twisting of her face, her eyes are clear. Sharp. And Mal feels bile rise in her throat because she wouldn't have expected something like _this_ from Evie except it's _Evie_ and so of-fucking-course she'd have the nerve to do exactly this.

Mal lets her eyes snap over then, setting her jaw and definitely relishing the way the other girl goes pale. She wanted the eye contact, well now she was going to get it and Mal wasn't about to let up. Despite the way she could feel the tug of her magic again she refused to let it light in her eyes because this was meant to be between _them_ this time. Head high, jaw tight, and eyes steady; she would have liked to think that her mother would have been proud to see the way she exuded her authority in that moment.

Evie flinches, her lips parting with a sound that wasn't quite a gasp- there wasn't enough air to make it- and Mal stiffens her posture just a bit more as she lifts her chin.

"Go ahead. E," she repeats slowly, and the other girl's head turns in a minute shake, her shoulders falling in submission. Mal hates it _loves it_ hates it because it's Evie; one of _her group;_ Evie is _hers_ ; but she maintains her dominance- has to because it's _Evie_ and damn if the other girl wasn't a master at slipping into submission to get what she wants.

"I…I said what I needed to," Evie whispers, and Mal would believe it if it weren't _Evie._ "I don't think it's right for you to just…just decide what the group should do or how we should feel and expect us to…go along with it because you said so."

And her head is down, but her eyes stay on hers and they're so deeply blue and full of that _edge_ that Mal has to place her hands on her hips to ground herself in place.

"Don't be a bitch, E, I know you're talking about the Cricket," she says, and for the first time in the conversation, Evie's eyes slip away.

Whether it's intentional or not, Mal doesn't know, but she _does_ know this, and so she digs in anyway.

"You're talking about the Cricket, and the fact that I, specifically, decided to let a man get near the group; and you didn't agree so _you_ decided, _specifically_ , to self-injure to get back at me for my decision."

The sound Evie makes then is true pain, her head snapping back as if Mal had hit her. Mal almost wishes she had; she'd have much rather lashed out physically but that's not how Evie worked. Evie worked with words and feelings and expressions of dominance and submission and Mal hated it because she always lost.

"That's not what that was!" Evie chokes, her face twisting with the effort of holding back her tears, her fingers picking at the bandages Carlos had fixed with morbid pointedness. "I didn't…"

"You opened the door."

Mal makes no effort to disguise her emotions this time, remembering the terror she'd felt the night before, letting her fury and her pain take over her expression at will. "I would have broken it down to get to you…I've _done_ it…and you fucking know that. You. Opened. It."

"That's not-" Evie tries, but her hands are shaking and so are Mal's and damn it she can't cry now because she's supposed to be pissed and she _is_ but if Mal cries now it'll mean she's lost.

"You act as if I've set myself up to take control of everything and that I don't give a damn about any of you," Mal rasps, her voice thickening without her permission. "And you have the fucking _nerve_ to-shit."

She brings a fist up to press against her mouth, salt bitter against her tongue and the hot wetness on her face serving as mocking symbols of her defeat. Evie's eyes flicker intently through her own tear-soaked lashes, and Mal's heart clenches as she's reminded suddenly of their first meeting and-

" _Damn_ I hope you're proud of yourself, E."

Laughter bubbles up in Evie's throat, but it's heavy and dark and accented with tears that pool in the hollow spaces of her smile.

"Fuck you, Mal, that's not what I wanted."

Mal's tears drip under her chin and settle like a chain against her throat, and she doesn't know what to do with her hands but she knows she can't wipe them away. There wasn't a point to trying to maintain dominance; not like this…not anymore, but she'd be damned if she let herself appear any weaker than she already was.

"What exactly did you want then, E, because you know; in Auradon a true princess asks politely to get what she wants, not manipulates."

Evie flinches hard, but her eyes turn even harder, her jaw wobbling even as she speaks. "That's low," she growls, and Mal's chin jerks up sharply with the force of her laugh.

"Please, I haven't even started!"

"Maleficent would be so proud," Evie hisses, and Mal lets her laugh continue, if only to cover the way her magic sparks hotly in her gut, twisting and coiling with rage and pain.

"I'm sure she would be," Mal replies, her eyes green and the only thing she'll allow. "And when we get back, you can find out first hand just _how_ proud. By the way, which of these princes have you managed to seduce I mean you've only had, what…almost two weeks to find one? I'm sure the Evil Queen will be simply _thrilled_ to find out which kingdom she'll be living in next."

Evie's expression slips; not drastically by any means, and most looking at her would still assume she wanted nothing more than to murder Mal in the most brutal way possible. (That right was reserved for Maleficent, though, try again.) But Mal wasn't most, and she could see the way the corners of Evie's eyes fell; the slackening of her jaw behind tightly closed lips.

Mal huffs a short wheeze of a laugh as her own jaw twitches sharply to the left, and the rest of Evie's charade crumples; fresh tears trailing down her face.

"That's not what I wanted," Evie whispers hoarsely, far less hesitant than Mal to wipe at her face now.

"Yeah, well. Did it anyway," Mal says, refusing to let any sympathy into her voice; like she hadn't just yielded the argument.

"I wasn't finished."

"No, I think you are," Mal says coldly, and her magic shivers its way up her spine, arching across the backs of her hands. "I _know_ you, E. I know exactly what you meant and what you were trying to do….You're afraid."

Evie's head lifts minutely, and Mal doesn't need any more proof but it's there anyway in wide eyes and stuttering breaths.

"Bullshit all you want, but I know you too well."

"You… _know?_ " Evie repeats, and Mal would have been surprised to hear the venom back in her voice if it weren't the fact that this is _Evie_ , and of course the other girl isn't done. "You know how it feels? To bite your tongue so hard you're afraid you might swallow it, but you have to because he'd told you to be quiet?

"To have nothing at your back but a brick wall that smells like piss and you wonder if you could throw your head back hard enough to split your skull because that would be better than just taking it? To force yourself not to scream when he shoves his fingers so deep inside you that you think it shouldn't be physically possible to _feel him like that_. And he laughs when you cry but at least you were _quiet._ "

"Oh are we trading stories now?" Mal says, her face is wet and she's shaking but her voice is steady enough because of-fucking-course she _knew_. Knew exactly who and when and where; had enlisted Jay to track the bastard down and they'd killed him together right after severing each and every finger from his hand.

But now wasn't the time for heroics and she stiffens to force her body to remain still as she slowly lifts the hem of her shirt across her stomach. She'd filled out just a little since coming to Auradon, but not enough that her clothes fit the way they should and it doesn't take much maneuvering for her pants to sling low across her hips, and she shouldn't smile when Evie whimpers but she does anyway.

"He had a knife and I was stupid enough to try and fight when he told me to behave."

Evie makes another low noise in her throat and a shudder crawls like ice through Mal's veins because _"Fuck aren't you just a little bitch?"_ he'd said through a moan just like that and

"It was more than just his fingers," Mal growls through her teeth, letting her shirt fall back over the scars and wishing it were so easy to cover from her mind. "But I was taught to _fight_ so I did, and each time he pushed a little deeper I fought that much harder; and he smiled when he dug his knife in but dragons didn't submit to anybody. And I was stupid and I fought and I did more than just scream by the time he'd finished with me and I was glad it was dark so I didn't have to _know_ just what all the wet on my body was. But it didn't really matter because when I finally dragged myself home my mother sneered, and said that it wouldn't have happened if I had fought harder, and that I deserved it for being so weak."

And the basement had been cold and dark and the perfect place to relive it over and over again in the weeks she'd been locked in it afterwards.

Silence hisses loudly in the space between them, punctuated only by the alternating sounds of grief, and Mal's heart twists as she fights to regain control. Of herself, or of Evie, she doesn't quite know, only that she's done enough crying and is just…so…tired. Auradon was supposed to mean freedom, but since coming here she's had to work twice as hard to keep them all afloat and it's times like this that make Mal wonder if it would be such a terrible thing to drown.

"If you're not happy with the decisions I make that's fine; I honestly don't give a shit." Mal draws her sleeve across her eyes and ignores the voice of her mother hissing in her ear. "If all of us are safe and alive then I've done my job, and I'll do whatever I have to to keep us that way."

Evie flinches, suddenly small and engulfed by the room and Mal grimaces, shaking her head and swiping at her face one more time. There's a part of her that still wants to cry; wants to hold the other girl tight and say that it's ok. But she knows better, knows that things are from ok, but it doesn't stop the urge for comfort and she grits her jaw against the tightness in her chest and forcibly turns away from Evie, yanking the sheet up on the bed.

"Fuck it just…get dressed, E. We'll deal with it later."

Or the Isle would deal with it for them. One of the two. Mal grinds her teeth together as she stalks over to the closet and flings it open, pretending not to notice the way Evie's breath catches at the sound as her fingers rip the nearest jacket from its hook. She almost regrets being so harsh, but when she glances over Evie is still just standing there, body trembling with the weight of the words torturously etching themselves onto her skin and screaming in the tears from her eyes.

"No, you're not, but get dressed so we can pretend a little longer."

Evie's lips tremble but she moves shakily to obey, body bent and eyes no longer threatening to meet hers and Mal hates it _loves it_ hates it because it's _Evie_ and Mal wasn't supposed to win.

* * *

 ** _Evie_**

Evie heard Jay before she saw him, and she glanced instinctively over her shoulder for her mother before remembering that she'd gone to the market and wouldn't be back for a few hours. It still doesn't make her completely relax, especially since a visit from Jay could go either way…especially recently. He hadn't said anything specifically, but Evie could tell he was hiding something from her.

"Ok, it's just up here," Jay's voice rang out, and Evie stiffened, jumping up from the half-sofa and hissing when her sewing spilled to the floor. He'd _brought someone_?

"I still never agreed to this," a strange voice rasped, and Evie froze with her hand on the door because it had been nearly ten years but she could never forget that voice.

 _Maleficent!_

Caution thrown to the wind, Evie dashed to her fallen sewing kit and rifled through it, coming up seconds later with metal sewing scissors clutched in trembling fingers. Steps bang out right by the door, the latch clicking rhythmically before snapping, and Evie sucked a sharp breath as it was flung open and…and….

There was Jay, lips quirked with a sarcastic comment, head turned to face…a much smaller version of the dragon that had haunted her dreams.

"I thought you said she was going to be open minded," the strange girl muttered, and for a moment it looked like her eyes had turned green.

"Jay," Evie's fingers clutch that much tighter as she snaps her head over to the boy, who raises his hands in supplication. "Explain. Now."

"Ha, yeah, I um…I would have called ahead but you know…lack of technology's a pain."

"Jayden!"

"You might want to hurry it up, _Jayden_ ," mini-Maleficent sneered, eyes sharp and never leaving Evie's. "I don't think Her Highness is used to waiting for things."

Fury settled in a cold shroud over Evie at the taunt, and she drew herself up to her full height, letting her own lips curl as she glared at the other girl.

"I think you'd be surprised at how patient I am, given that I've waited almost five years to do _this_."

She threw herself forward, bringing the scissors up with the sole intent to _hurt_ and letting that instinct drive her movements. The dragon-spawn had the gall the laugh, moving at the last moment and grabbing Evie's wrist, twisting it hard as she dodged around behind Evie's back.

"Shit, Jay," she barked, grey eyes burning into Evie's own. "You didn't tell me she was a bitch!"

Evie snarled and kicked back, wincing when the other girl dodged and twisted her arm that much further, the scissors slipping from her fingers. They hit the floor with a dull sound that Evie barely registered as she was suddenly shoved, and she stumbled before regaining her balance and whirling sharply in time to see the girl scoop them up with a triumphant noise.

"These are mine now," she announced, eyes glinting as she grinned at Evie, and Evie cursed before crossing her arms over her chest and quickly putting on an air of indifference.

"Oh sure, help yourself," she said tightly, lifting her chin to return the glare. "Though I shouldn't be surprised; the other side of the Isle must be so uncivilized what with Maleficent running everything."

"Excuse _me_?" The other girl growled, but there was a twitch in her jaw that Evie latched on to- She didn't much like Maleficent either, which was…interesting.

"Ok, guys, chill," Jay finally spoke up, forcing his way between them and glaring at the other girl. "I didn't bring you here so you could kill each other, Mal."

"Why are you looking at me, Jay?" 'Mal' snapped, brushing wisps of stringy blonde hair out of her face as she glared up at him. "She's the one who had the scissors."

Evie smirked openly, but turmoil rocked her thoughts because those had been her mother's scissors and if she found out that Evie had had them…and then lost them to Maleficent's daughter…she'd never see the light of day again. Which was pitiful enough as it was with a barrier in the way but still.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Jay groaned, head in his hands, and Mal scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"It was," she said snidely, scanning the room before sneering again. "There's nothing here that's worth my time."

"That's funny," Evie said, trying to pretend that the other girl's words hadn't hurt. "I was just thinking the same thing."

"You don't even know what I'm here for!" Mal snapped, and Evie schooled her features to keep her smirk from growing too far. "You didn't even know that I was coming, the fuck do you mean 'I was thinking the same thing?'"

"I didn't mean anything," Evie responded coolly, lifting a brow. "Only that for the daughter of the woman who would curse an infant to death, and singlehandedly _ruined_ my life, you're not much to look at."

Mal seemed to cringe at that, and Evie paused. Did she feel…bad about her banishment? The grimace on the other girl's face seemed to suggest something, though she was quick to twist it into a scowl.

"You have a lot of nerve, thinking that…you and your mother are the reason you're here; nothing else."

Evie reels back, a retort sharp on her lips when Jay holds up his hands, a frown tugging at his lips despite the amusement in his eyes.

"Come on, Evie," Jay mumbled, dark eyes pleading silently. "Just hear us out, and if you still want us gone we'll go."

"We?" Mal said under her breath, eyes narrowing. "You act as if you didn't drag me here against my will."

But there was something not quite hostile in her body, despite the volatile words, and Evie debated silently a moment before deciding.

"Get to the point, then," she huffed, lifting her chin deliberately and keeping her eyes on Mal. Across from her, Mal did the opposite, maintaining the eye contact but dropping her chin; and Evie didn't quite know what to think about that.

"I'm in a bit of a…situation," the other girl said carefully, and Evie blinked, but remained silent. "Jay said you might be able to…help."

Evie blinked again, entirely thrown. The daughter of Maleficent came to her for _help?_ It must have shown on her face because the other girl scowled irritably, eyes flashing as she crosses her arms.

"It'd be nice if you'd actually say something instead of just staring, princess," she growled, and Evie would have been angry at the remark if it weren't for the fact that Mal actually seemed genuine, the hunch of her shoulders far less aggressive and more passive; something unsure in her grey-green eyes.

"What makes you think I'd be willing to help you?" Evie asked, if only because she felt she should. "Five years after you abandon me here you think you can just show up now and…and expect me do whatever you want?"

She grit her jaw against the lump forming in her throat, cursing herself for revealing too much emotion, blinking hard and trying to maintain her anger. Mal looked on the verge of something harsh and furious herself, but then her eyes met Evie's and she paused; the slump of her shoulders a bit more pronounced as she shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her ratty green jacket.

"I could ask nicely, if you want," Mal muttered, eyes flickering to the side before returning to meet hers.

It was an entirely submissive gesture, and Evie knew that it was _intentional_. Despite the way their history hovered darkly over their shoulders, this girl had actually made her way to the other side of the Isle to meet with her. Had actually not been as horrible as Evie had been making her out to be in her mind; nothing like Maleficent, in fact, because the dragon woman would never dare bring herself over here with all the filth and the lowest of the low. Would never have dreamed of humbling herself before someone she considered inferior; someone she had banished.

More than that, to offer an apology- because Evie knew that was really what Mal's offer was- it was enough to make her question everything she thought she knew to expect from Maleficent's daughter.

Evie hesitated. She had the upper hand here- had _Maleficent's daughter_ in the palm of her hand- had the power to crush her... But she had that power because it had been _given_ to her, and the significance of the move wasn't lost on her. Mal shuffled a foot awkwardly, lips parting as if she wanted to say something else, but then she caught herself, and let her eyes drop away and _damn it_ Evie couldn't do it. Because Mal was _letting_ herself defer to Evie; waiting for the other girl to make the first move and trusting the decision she was making to do such a thing and despite the fact that her mother had always said that _that_ was the moment she was supposed to go in for the kill…she couldn't do it. Wouldn't.

Evie let the rest of the tension leave her body, and couldn't help the tiny laugh that escaped her at the wary look of surprise the other girl gave her, grey eyes wide and posture entirely too open.

"What, exactly, did you have in mind for me?" Evie asked coyly, pretending not to notice the color that rose to the other girl's cheeks at her words; although she did notice that the open posture didn't change- Mal was still deferring to her.

"I was thinking…allies?" she said it slowly, glancing out of the corner of her eyes to gauge Evie's reaction.

"Allies," Evie repeated, just to be sure she had heard correctly because it wasn't enough that the other girl had submitted to her, but was actually offering to set Evie up as an ally- an equal.

"Unless you had a problem with that," Mal said, and though the words are humble, the way she said them was not, drawing herself back upright and glaring with every bit of ferocity that was to be expected considering just who she was.

Evie dropped her eyes to laugh, letting it carry on a second longer to evaporate the tension and return the control back to the other girl where it belonged.

"No," she finally murmured, smiling as she lifted her eyes back up to meet Mal's. "I don't have a problem with that at all."

* * *

 **Carlos**

Jay had been staring at the same shirt for the past five minutes, and Carlos would have been annoyed except he still wasn't entirely sure the older boy was ok. He frowns at Jay's back, the other boy's form inverted given that Carlos viewed him upside down, hanging over the side of the bed.

"Is it deep pro-pro-pro-probing question time?" he mutters idly to the room at large.

Jay jerks awkwardly into movement at, tugging the thin yellow shirt he currently wore over his head and onto the floor in more or less one smooth motion. Carlos quickly darts his eyes further upward, so he's now looking directly at the tiny crowns patterned on the carpet. But it still isn't quick enough to entirely avoid the partial glimpse of thick ropy scars criss-crossing Jay's back, and Carlos swallows hard because he really didn't want to go _back to that_.

"What, 'Los?" Jay asks, yanking on a dull red shirt and adjusting it so that its distinct lack of collar is less apparent.

Carlos wonders if he realizes that even with his thin leather vest, the scars are still visible to anyone paying attention where they spill onto the backs of Jay's arms; wonders if it's intentional or if the other boy just didn't care at this point; picks anxiously at his own shirt because he loves it but it doesn't have sleeves either and everyone would see how screwed up he is and _shit_ he sounded like _Evie_ and-

"'Los?"

"You-you said before that later cccould be deep question time," Carlos blurts, jerking himself upright and blinking hard against the dizziness. "It's later."

Jay stares a moment uncomprehendingly, but then clarification comes in the sharp stiffening of his shoulders, a very Jafar-like glower darkening his features.

"Lay off it, Carlos," Jay grumbles, and it's a warning he thinks he should listen to but he's sick of them all falling apart when that was _his_ job.

"No," he snaps, turning around so he can glare at Jay properly. "I-i-it was fine…Aur-Auradon was fine until _you_ mmade it not."

Jay recoils slightly, dark eyes flickering with genuine hurt that both surprises and flusters Carlos.

" _I_ made it not?" Jay repeats, and Carlos shakes his head hard, trying to explain.

"Yes," he says, which doesn't help because Jay is still not ok and Carlos is just making it _worse._ "No…not…you…"

His hands twitch anxiously and he wants to bring them up to sign but his skin still tingles raw at the thought and he wants to just _talk_ but the words aren't coming out right and he can't he can't he can't…..

 _"You don't have to talk."_

Jane's voice, of all things, breaks through his panicked frenzy, and he freezes, suddenly back in the theatre department; the stage so big he'd thought it would swallow him whole.

 _"Distract your brain,"_ she'd said, grey eyes wide with excitement. _"If you can't talk, sing. What's your favorite music?"_

And he'd hummed a few bars of something thick and tense and raw, and she'd laughed at him (but with him, too) because 'of _course you like rock'_ and-

"I walk a lonely road; the only one that I've ever known," Carlos half-hums under his breath, and the timbre of the song effectively curbs his thoughts, slowing the race of his brain and his words.

"What?" Jay is still scowling, his eyes still glinting hurt, and Carlos shakes his head once and tries to let the music distract his brain.

"Nothing," he manages shakily, his hands not quite as anxious. "I ju-just meant that everything was fine before you _mmade_ it not fine."

"You're still…you mean the library, don't you?" Jay growls, and his lips try to curl into a sneer, but it's his body that curls instead and that's not what Carlos had been trying to do. "You mean the library, and that-"

"Stop," Carlos says scrambling up from the bed, because that's not what he'd been trying to do and Jay was shaking and Mal wasn't here and he didn't know how to deal with _this_. "Jay…sto-top."

"Stop what," Jay challenges, but he's not steady enough to make it work. "Telling the truth?"

"Ssshhut up," Carlos growls lowly, letting it curl across his face into the expression that Jay had failed to make. "Listen."

Jay blinks and he's quiet, but Carlos doesn't know if he's genuinely listening, or if his brain is working against him just as hard as Carlos.'

"Don't know where it goes; but it's home…," Carlos breathes softly, and the song loosens the words stuck in his brain. "Jay…we know what the Isle is li-like, but we don't know-know-know what Auradon is…it's diff _-different."_

"Not that different," Jay denies, his eyes the only solid thing about him, his body still hunched inwards. "It's _not_ that different there's still-"

Jay chokes on the rest of his sentence, his mouth clenching shut so tightly Carlos can see the way his jaw works; a shiver running through his body. Panic hardens a stone in Carlos' gut because now wasn't the time for freezing, but then Jay's words register and he scrambles desperately to hang onto it.

"I-w-j-di-" he splutters wordlessly, fumbling over syllables and vowels, but it's enough to catch Jay's attention, the other boy blinking out of his stupor.

"What?" Jay croaks, and Carlos tries to swallow his nerves enough to speak.

"Different…ssame…Jay, wha-wha-wha-what's the same about here?"

Jay frowns, but Carlos is on to it now, Jane's teasing encouraging him enough to keep going.

"Auradon, and the-the-the-the Isle," he goads, taking a few steps forward in his eagerness to prove Jay wrong. "What's the same?"

Jay shakes his head, his eyes not quite focusing, and Carlos continues for him, walking backwards until the softness of the bed brushes his legs.

"Bbed," he says firmly, eyes locked on Jay's. "We have a bed hhere. And a room that it goes i-n."

"I had a bed," Jay mumbles idly, and Carlos glares at him darkly, not sure why he wasn't _getting it._

"A mmat under a t.v sstand doesn't cou-count," he snaps, and Jay blinks again, lapsing back into silence. "We had a chchchance, Jay! Something real…and you…."

"I know what's real, 'Los."

Jay's voice is thick…disjointed, almost, but there's an intensity in his eyes that makes Carlos flinch.

"What's real is that when I was nine Jafar told me that if I didn't go out and kill the merchant that kept cheating me out of deals, he'd paint the walls of the shop with my blood and use my skin as a rug."

Carlos shuts his mouth this time, paling at the implications. Jay's lip curls upwards, but there's no humor in it; only pain.

"I knew how to slip a poison into anything I could get my hands on, but he wanted the _proof_ of the blood on my hands…wanted to know." Jay cocked his head back, a vague sort of expression of thought on his face. "He didn't know that I actually hated the very idea of it…that I'd have much rather it be my blood than the merchant's even if he was a rat…didn't know that when he finally did die…it was Mal that killed him, not me."

Carlos starts, shocked because he never would have guessed…wouldn't have thought, and Jay makes a strange, coughing sound that might have been a laugh, but was most likely a cry.

"Mal," Jay repeats, nodding. "Because she knew what my _father_ would have done to me if I didn't. She did that…to be sure I was safe."

"Jay," Carlos starts, then stops because he didn't really know what he was saying now. What could he possibly say?

"What's real is that I had to avoid him more than usual after because he kept asking for details and what the hell was I supposed to say to that? I still don't fucking know and it's been ten years…but I knew that I didn't want to be _him_ \- bloodthirsty and vicious but a coward."

Jay makes another choking laugh, flinging his arms up and Carlos knows he shouldn't flinch, doesn't need to flinch, but he does anyway, cringing tightly against the bed. Jay freezes mid-gesture and something passes across his face, but it's gone before Carlos can really see it and Jay drops his arms again with a short jerk of his head.

"And it didn't really matter cuz I'm still just like him anyway. Just as bloodthirsty as he ever wanted me to be…and…and a coward."

"You're nnot," Carlos tries weakly, forcing hid body back into movement, to do something else besides cower. "Jay, you're nohing li-like…"

"But I am," Jay snaps, and his voice is hoarse like he'd screamed it but he'd barely gone above a whisper this whole time. "I am like him because here I am in Auradon, finally, and I can't even face it because I'm such a…I'm so. fucking. terrified, 'Los."

Something breaks in Jay's voice, something horribly vulnerable and small that had no right to be on his face because he's _Jay_ and Jay was supposed to be everything that Carlos could not. He was supposed to be strong.

"What's real is that if I stand still for long enough I can still feel his hands against my waist…the…back of my neck…can still hear…."

"Jay," Carlos whimpers, because he couldn't possibly have known the extent…didn't want to know just how badly damaged the really were.

"And I know it's not the same," Jay continues after a moment, and he's not crying, but the pressure of it is there in his eyes-in his voice. "That's the thing, I _know_ it's not the same…but I can't…I can't because it's not fair…that they get the 'love' and I get…fucked."

Carlos has the sudden urge to…do something….he has no idea what because although he thinks maybe some kind of physical contact was needed, he'd never been embraced before coming into the group, and the Isle had barely allowed for that kind illicit closeness, either. But he feels like he needs to do _something_ or else he'll explode too. As it is, he can barely keep himself contained as he shakily wobbles over to Jay, who presses himself backwards against the closet door with all the wariness that Carlos himself usually possessed, his dark eyes bright with pain. Carlos hesitates for all of two seconds before turning his body so he mirror's Jay's pose, inching himself closer step by step until the back of his arms is flush with Jay's; his fingers just brushing Jay's knuckles.

"Auradon is rreal," Carlos whispers, letting his words carry themselves. "I-I-I-I'm real. Mal…and Evie…wwe're real."

Jay makes a short, hiccupping cough of a sob, but clamps down on it just as hard, the remainder of the pain shuddering through his body in violent, rocking waves.

"You're nnot a coward, Jay," Carlos growls it as fiercely as he dares, pressing his shoulder against the other boy just a bit further. "You're-you're-you're not Jafar, because you actttually _care_ about hurting people. Because you'll sstill always have us…he doesn't even have his sstupid bird."

He tapers off as Jay twitches beside him, and there's a moment of silence so thick Carlos can practically _see_ it. But then there's a breath, and a quiet release of tension and Jay huffs a breathy imitation of a laugh.

"Thanks, 'Los," he mumbles weakly, and Carlos hums reassuringly under his breath, not trusting himself to keep going and ruin the moment.

{What runs through his mind but never off his tongue is that he knows that Jay can't be like Jafar because that would mean that he was just like his mother and he couldn't bear the thought of that. Knows that the Isle was more a tomb than anything else; sealed everything dead inside and takes no prisoners. That what's real is a whip burning scars across Jay's back; chains around Mal's throat and poison in the very air that Evie breathed. Scars on the backs of his arms where he throws them up to protect himself from his mother- straight lined but jagged because he'd tried to pull away and stale cigarette smoke wheezing out with each cry of 'hold still, baby, it'll be ok.' Knows that in spite of everything, killing herself would never have been Evie's intention because 'straight up and down, that's the way to do it- if you're doing it right,' and he remembered being so angry the first time he'd found Evie like that because how dare the Isle take her but leave him with a beast like Cruella.}

And he thinks that he kind of agrees with Jay, at least in one regard. Auradon might have been real for them now, but it wasn't always and how _was_ it fair that they got all the love?

* * *

 **Fairy Godmother**

One would think that the Fairy Godmother had seen her fair share of chaos over the years, never mind just in the past week alone. And yet, somehow, she was still entirely unprepared for what she currently faced.

"Fu-fu-fairy…Fairy Godm-other I demand you p-pu-punish this boy at once!"

She blinks. Takes a breath because she couldn't very well handle this without some shred of composure. Opens her eyes but her colleague is still there- red faced and grimacing, a sheepish but proud? looking Carlos de Vil in tow.

"Mr. Kropp?" She says, because she knows she hadn't heard him right. "I'm sorry, would you care to repeat that?"

Carlos snorts, but when the Fairy Godmother looks at him his eyes are clear and entirely contrite. Benjamin Kropp shakes with fury beside him, but he clears his throat obligingly at her request, working his mouth a few times before speaking.

"I ssssaid…" But then he stops with another tight grimace, and it's then that the Fairy Godmother registers three things: one- the Biology teacher was speaking with a stutter; two- if his grimacing were any indication, the act of speaking was causing him pain, somehow; and three- there was a vague, urgent sort of tingling down her spine. It was strange, because it had been so long since she'd _felt_ it let alone wielded it; but there was no mistaking the itch of power- of _magic_.

"Carlos," the Fairy Godmother says sharply, and the boy flinches at her tone, his eyes flickering as he jerks his head towards the floor. The sight makes her heart clench because it was as if he'd never made any progress at all; as if he still expected violence and pain. There's a small part of her that half-wonders if there was a cause for that, her own gaze flickering towards her irate coworker…but she dismisses it from her thoughts immediately because, really, no one would ever dare. Not here.

"Carlos," she says again, softening her voice but not the severity. "Would you kindly explain to me what's going on?"

Something darts across his expression- almost that pride she'd gotten a glimpse of when Kropp had dragged him through the door; but then it shifts to fear as he lifts his chin but not his eyes.

"I-I-I can exppplain….," Kropp chokes indignantly. "This bbboy has-"

"What Mr. Kropp means," Carlos says and the Fairy Godmother still can't solidify her thoughts enough to accept that the words are fully formed. "Is that he's having trouble getting control of his brain all of a sudden. It's ok though…once he stops being lazy and stubborn, he'll realize he can talk just fine."

There's a sort of smugness that lights in Carlos' eyes, his lips twitching with his mild tone, and the Fairy Godmother finally shakes enough out of her stupor to register that there's something about his tone to suggest a direct quote.

"Whu-why you li-litle-" Kropp turns even redder at Carlos' words, and takes an intentional step towards him.

Two more things register to the Fairy Godmother in that moment; that Kropp had made a move _threateningly_ towards the young boy- a twitch in his hand that suggested the intent for violence; and that Carlos was flinching back- not just out of instinct, but with an _expectation_ ; as if he knew for certain that he needed to; and the Fairy Godmother draws herself up sharply at this realization and slips her pointer from her sleeve in one fluid motion, rapping it against her desk.

"That is _quite_ enough," she snaps, and though Carlos jumps at the sudden noise, his eyes meet her with some relief before they dart to the floor again. "Mr. Kropp, would you please excuse yourself to the hall for a moment? You may come back once you are more composed."

"I beg-beg-beg your ppp-" Kropp practically gags on the words, his jaw twitching as his eyes narrow. Then he stops, stiffening, and casts such a glare at Carlos as he exits that the Fairy Godmother doesn't hesitate to think she made the right call in that moment.

It's when the door closes behind him that she notes just how tightly Carlos had been holding himself; his shoulders slumping with a pronounced shiver, and she frowns sharply before forcing herself to soften as well.

"Carlos," she says, and though his head jerks in her direction, he refused to bring his gaze up. "I might be well past my spell weaving days, but I'm not quite so far gone that I don't recognize the pull of magic when I feel it."

His head snaps up then, eyes wide and breath catching in his throat as his lips part with the force of his gasp. It confirms her suspicions if nothing else, but she continues calmly. It wouldn't do to lose control of herself as her colleague no doubt had.

"I won't ask how, just yet," she cautions, and though she's still so restrained, the flicker of fear remains. "But I would like to know if this has occurred before; and I would like to know why."

Although, she thinks to herself, if Carlos really had been quoting something that had been said to him, she could understand that much at least.

"Not- um…no, this…it didn't…"

Despite his frankly magical lack of stutter, Carlos still couldn't get his words out, his shoulders hunching and arms coming up to cross defensively around his middle. It's with that motion that the Fairy Godmother is able to realize that Carlos wasn't wearing sleeves, and while it concerned her given the cooler weather she's also able to see the scars twisting his skin.

"Are you waiting for me to hurt you, Carlos?" she says softly, and it's equal parts horror and grief that darkens her tone.

That's always what it came down to with these children, wasn't it? What new way could they be hurt next? What more could Auradon do that they hadn't already? Carlos scowls at the ground, his shoulders tightening as his eyes narrow. It's not quite sullen; but it's certainly nothing optimistic, and the Fairy Godmother has to resist the urge to sigh aloud.

"You know that I-" She begins, then corrects herself because surely they'll have heard similar assurances before. "None of us here would hurt you."

Carlos' head jerks a short negative, a stifled, bitter sound thick in his throat. The Fairy Godmother draws herself up in shock, taken aback and certainly far more concerned now.

"Carlos," she says, and the boy's expression slackens with faint surprise at her tone. " _Has_ someone here hurt you?"

He makes another bitter noise, his eyes sharp and almost accusing as he peers up at her before he flinches and drops his gaze again.

"I can't help you unless you let me," the Fairy Godmother insists, and Carlos' mouth opens almost without his bidding, the words tumbling out then.

"That's what you keep saying that Auradon will _help,_ that all you want to do is _help_ but where was your help when we were on the Isle dying? Where was it two weeks ago; or two days? Where is it now?"

His eyes burn with fury and hatred and pain, and the Fairy Godmother couldn't tell who or what it was directed at. Not quite her; although she didn't blame him for thinking that she deserved it. But his accusations spark guilt all the same because he did have every right to feel the way he did; and yet they _were trying_.

"Will you tell me?" she asks, instead of the other, more anxious and tearful things reeling in her thoughts. "Will you let me try to help you now?"

His expression twists further, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as few times as he clenches his arms tighter around his body. He looks on the verge of panic, and it stirs the Fairy Godmother's own fear for a sharp and terrifying moment. But then Carlos relaxes, his arms dropping to a more subdued clasp in front of him and a horrifying stillness settling across his face. It's only his eyes that contain the storm of his raging emotions, and even then, she has trouble reading them. Instead, she reads the words she can see on his arms: 'freak,' and 'mutt' stand out in sickening pale scratches; and in the crooks of his elbows she can see a cluster of small, raised circles. Some are pale, belying their age, but others…others are still fairly red and she can't help the small intake of breath because there's no mistaking them for what they are- cigarette burns.

"You act like you don't know how they got there," Carlos whispers, and though his voice is soft, there's an edge there she wouldn't have expected. Or rather, she did. Just not like this.

"Cruella," she murmurs just as softly, her own voice distorted with equal parts revulsion and horror.

Carlos shrugs a shoulder, a twitch in his cheek like he might have smiled, though his lips remain resolutely shut, his eyes unreadable now despite their previous turmoil. She wants to ask…doesn't dare to _know_ ; and yet it's with the tilting of Carlos' head that she's able to see a fresher mark along his cheek, and she reaches an unthinking hand towards him. He reacts like a shot; flinching back with an almost animalistic whimper of fear, his own arms coming up as if to shield from her attack.

There's a heavy whoosh of air as it forces its way out of her lungs, and then Carlos drops his arms, a look of something like embarrassment on his face as he glances up at her guardedly.

"I'm sorry," she says immediately, flushing because really, how _could_ she have done such a thing _knowing_? "I didn't think…but Carlos…what is _that_?"

His brow furrows, lips pouting in confusion as he slowly lifts his hand to complete her gesture; his fingertips brushing the swollen edge of his cheek. There's a pause: a brief 'oh' of clarity flickering across his face before he hardens again; his eyes dark despite the way his body seemed torn between hunching in on itself and tearing away.

"Ask him," he growls harshly, jerking his head in the direction of the hall beyond; and she excuses his tone because he was shaking now and how had she made this _worse?_ "Ask _him_ if he's learned how to control himself; if he's realized yet that being w-w-willful will only cause him pain."

Carlos goes pale with his last words, something like terror and betrayal flashing across his face as his tongue adds the extra syllables back in. Then he turns, and before the Fairy Godmother can react, let alone _think_ , he'd flung the door open and was gone, a solitary shout of anger following after his pounding footsteps. Or was that her pounding heart?

* * *

 **Ben**

 **Ben**

The meeting was going about as well as his entire plan had been so far; poorly and nowhere near as fleshed out as it should have been.

"I didn't ask to meet with you just so you could tell me what a terrible job I'm doing," Ben snaps, and he's on his feet and aware that he sounds every bit the spoiled child they thought he was. "I have myself for that, thanks."

"I beg your pardon?" A faceless voice rings out, and Ben whirls sharply, a low noise groaning in his chest.

"You don't have it!" His words are wrenching out of him beyond his control but when had things ever been? "You don't deserve it- any of you!"

Shrieks of horror and cries of 'control your son, _King Adam_ ,' and 'Is _this_ how the future heir speaks to his people?' and 'I'm not certain he is fit to _be_ the future heir after this display' and he can't take he can't take it anymore they're all too loud and it's just too much and they aren't listening he's losing them why won't they just

"SHUT UP!"

His roar brings a silence that's nearly as painful as their voices had been; and it's only in that silence that he's able to realize that it had actually been a _roar_ ; his throat and chest still throbbing with the weight of it.

"Shut up, all of you," Ben pants, and he's on the table when did he get on the table and they're all just sitting there still and his parents are looking at him and Audrey is looking at him and oh gods, _Audrey is looking at him_ and he's not he's really not stop looking at him like that, stop looking like he's a monster.

"Ben."

He jerks because that's his father's voice and he'd never heard it like that before but when he looks, it's not revulsion in his father's eyes. It's _understanding_ and for some reason that scares Ben more than if he'd shouted and no don't do that don't…don't understand him…not like this.

"I didn't ask you all here to hurl insults." The words taste so bitter that he almost gags on them; his stomach coiling furiously in time with his still throbbing chest because the roar felt _right_ , far more right than tiny vowels and useless sentences. "Or to waste your time as I'm sure you feel I have."

A snort comes from somewhere and it's all so _pointless_ that he nearly snarls, but he settles for clenching his hands until his nails dig into his palms, ignoring the way they shake.

"I asked you here because the Isle isn't safe, and we are not going to just send the VKs back to an environment that can't support them."

There. See, he was human, he could talk. See Audrey? You can stop staring now.

But then he realizes he's still on the table, and he clambers down so quickly he nearly falls, and the hot rush of embarrassment is enough to drive the rest of the roar from his chest.

"Disgraceful behavior aside," the voice that's no longer faceless sneers- it's King Stefan; eyes just as cold as his voice and it had been so long wasn't he supposed to be dead?- "What shocks me the most is just how grossly you _have_ wasted our times. Of course the Isle isn't safe you foolish boy! It was never intended to be such and I know I'm not the only one who…."

The words barely register as Ben slinks back because they have faces now and they're all still looking at him and oh gods what had he _done?_

"…appalled at how horrendous…."

"What I find appalling is how you can just sit there while on the Isle children are suffering."

Was he still talking why was he still talking he needs to stop he needs to stop this right now somebody stop him why weren't they stopping him roaring was easier and he almost wants to get back on the table, wants to hide underneath it and why were they letting him talk?

"Yes, _children_ ," he repeats, and he's looking into Cinderella's tear stained eyes and wondering just what she's seeing. What is he doing? "And what I want to know is this; when you were building the Isle- because the Isle _was_ built, it's one of the first things they ever teach us- did it occur to you that someday there might be children running around with all these villains and that maybe some kind of plan should be put in place for that?"

"No, of course we didn't," another voice says, and it takes him a moment to recognize the burly man sitting beside Aladdin because he wasn't floating. Or blue. "We didn't account for it because we didn't _expect_ it; I mean, come on now, Benjamin…villains falling in love and having kids?"

The genie (or rather, former genie) laughs just a bit, and it's echoed by the faces around him except there are those who don't laugh and Ben focuses sharply on _them_ to distract the clenching of his gut.

"You don't need love to have kids," his voice is saying, and his chest wasn't throbbing anymore but somehow it still sounded like a growl. "It's simply a matter of biology and nothing more; so _why didn't you think about it_?"

"Because we didn't need to." It's another voice- Radcliff this time, and Ben blinks numbly as the man scowls sharply at him. "By the time we'd gotten everything finished most of the bigger names had already-"

"Roger, sit down!" Anita hisses, yanking hard at her husband's arm. He frowns again, but sits, and Ben thinks that sitting down might not be such a bad idea as a wave of dizziness hits him hard.

"What?" he whispers, and there's a silence as though everyone were holding their breath all of a sudden, a heavy fog of 'oops' that seems to settle over the gathered council. "You…Did you say that…?"

He blinks again, shivering and not sure if it's because he was actually cold, or if it was general horror creeping up on him again.

"You mean to tell me that some of the villains had _already had children_ before the Isle was finished….and you sent them over anyway?"

"It was hardly as barbaric as you're making it seem," Stefan was talking again, and though he was scowling, there was something pale about his features now. "There were options put in place, of course."

"Options?" Ben repeats raggedly, and he's trying to meet his father's eyes now but neither of his parents were looking at him; guilt emanating from the very set of their bodies.

"Come now must we waste time with all this?" It's Roger again, flustered but almost subdued- Ben can still feel that heavy 'oops,' and wonders if he truly wants to know what had been done. "None of the few villains who… who conceived, so to speak…did it through legitimate means. That is…." he falters, but it's ok because Ben suddenly understood, and oh how he wished he didn't.

"It was some of you guys, wasn't it?" he says, and he's aware of how he's slipped in his speech but what did any of _that_ matter? "People of Auradon, I mean. That's why you didn't care…you were trying to cover up your own part in it."

He'd hit the proverbial nail in the coffin; he knew he had because everyone had surely died with the way they went so absolutely quiet.

"So you just...wow." He swallows, not sure if it's a laugh or tears or a growl that's building in his chest. "You sent _your own…"_

"Children of villains!" It's a female voice, and Ben starts as he turns around to see Snow White's flushed and yet guilt-ridden face. "Children of _villains_ , who had no place in Auradon!"

"And anyway you're ignoring the fact that if any Auradon citizen did in fact take part in the creation of such…villainous offspring…it was certainly by means of coercion." Some faceless royal spits. "Aside from that of course, then they willfully committed an act of treason and were sent to the Isle as well, along with any children they dared to claim as theirs."

Ben, or at least, the solid, physical part of him, was grateful that he had sat down when he'd had the chance, otherwise he's certain he would have slumped to the floor then and there. His fingers twitch where they grip the arms of his chair- not dwarf made, unfortunately, although it's only right that he not be comfortable- and it's in gripping the chair that he realizes that Audrey hadn't taken his hand once since the meeting started. Or maybe…he hadn't taken hers? He doesn't dare try for it now, though he almost wishes he could; instead, he stands up again, and practically relishes the way the council ripples uneasily.

"It's funny you should mention coercion, sir," he says, and it's definitely the growl that had been building earlier, its rumble vibrating a deceptive warmth into his tone. "Because see, I was doing some research, well…myself and some of the others here…research about the Isle, and the kind of conditions that the VKs must have lived in to create the so called 'evil and dangerous' air that has been perceived about them."

Pressure on his wrist then, so tight he almost jerks back on instinct. It's only the fact that given the way he's leaning on the table, if he did that he would certainly fall that stops him, and he looks instead, to see that Audrey had taken his hand. He would have been relieved except it wasn't a comforting gesture, her eyes wide and a set about her jaw that demanded 'don't; not now.' He tries to shift his hand around discreetly so his fingers twined with hers, but she just grips his wrist tighter and he grimaces sharply, resolutely shoving his attention back to his point.

"When I said earlier that the Isle isn't safe, what I meant was there are more than just villains there trying to fight each other and bickering endlessly while they serve a sentence for crimes long past."

Audrey flinches- he feels it briefly in the sharp pang it leaves against his skin, before letting go abruptly and sitting back away from him. He should be upset about that, a part of him knows, but there's still that thrumming of the growl in his words and he's too _upset_ to care about the slight.

"What I meant was there are _children_ starving because we're only feeding them our garbage; _children_ being abused by bitter and angry people who have nothing left to them except to cause pain."

"Children raised by villains," King Stefan growls, but Ben idly thinks the sound is weak compared to his own. "Who were taught nothing but villainy and evil, and who are therefore deserving of the same fate as their parents."

"And do those same children deserve to be raped?"

There's a gasp- there's several, actually, but the sound is delayed, as though the intake of breath had come before the part where the mouth opened. His parents flinch now, sinking into each other silently and he _knows_ that he's hurting them and he hurts too but he can't focus on it because it's all just so _unimportant_ and he has to make _this_ right.

"I beg…"

"Excuse _you_?"

And there's snorts and scoffs and paralyzed shock, and Ben straightens stiffly and sets his face as blankly as he can manage.

"Did you keep track of all the villains and monsters you sent over?" he asks, and the outrage dulls minutely. "Were you aware that among them was a creature that we always colloquially called 'wolf,' because it was easier than acknowledging what he actually was?"

" _Benjamin_." The voice doesn't even sound like Audrey's, but he's aware enough in some sense to register that is hers, in some sense.

"I don't know what you think you're implying, young man-"

"Not implying," Ben cuts across with stilted calm. "It's just the facts that were made known to me, and what I dug into and discovered for myself."

The pages he'd copied from what the Fairy Godmother had shown him burn in his pocket, and he draws them out now, bending the creases back and laying them on the center table.

"I didn't bring you here for accusations; I brought you here to _take responsibility_. This is the legacy that Auradon has made, and I am trying to change it. No." He shakes his head sharply, standing even taller, making sure to meet as many eyes and faces as he can. "I am going to change it. Firstly, by ensuring that the children we do have here in Auradon _stay_ here in Auradon. To give them the support and the love that they never got from us before. And hopefully, some day, making sure that all of the children on the Isle receive it too."

A page is picked up and immediately discarded- passed along by King Stefan to another, more interested dignitary. It takes a moment, in which Ben hardly dares to breathe- even the gentle thrumming in his chest had ceased. He knows what they're reading- the rudimentary notes and observations from the Cricket; the small details they had about the four VKs composed into a simple list; and the single profile they'd had on the wolf that had once haunted enchanted forests before they'd given him a different forest to hunt in. He watches them read it all, some dismissing even still, and yet others…others not so much and slowly….slowly….his words get through. And he shouldn't be surprised and yet somehow he still is, when his father is the first to stand, hands shaking where they wrinkle the wolf's name, a ferocity in his eyes matched only by the timbre of his voice.

"Where should I put my seal?"


	29. Ain't no rest for the W-I-C-K-E-D

**Hey guys I'm back and I can not wait for you to read this chapter so I'ma just get right to the reviews! As always, the Notes are important so don't get so excited that you skip. ;)**

* * *

 **The Amazing Crusader: Go Ben indeed! Yes, the Council will definitely be hearing from the VKs, lol. If they thought _Ben_ was a handful…they better watch out! :)**

 **A: Aw, I'm glad my response made you happy. Responding to reviews is definitely my favorite part of getting reviews, lol. As for the endgame well…*insert the 'you know' meme here* ;) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Call Me Random: I know, look me at me finally getting the plot together! Haha, I had a lot of fun with that chapter, even with all the shit that went down. As for the prank, we get the full reveal in this chapter so don't you worry; I just wanted to give a little 'tease' to set things up for all that happens here. And yeah Ben certainly did give them all a run for their money, and I agree, it's about damn time they had a reality check. ;)**

 **As for the Isle, I actually made an official Note about it since you weren't the only one confused, so keep an eye out for that and hopefully it'll explain my thought processes/canons. :)**

 **EvietoyourMal: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much. All the character development made me excited too, and I'm glad you loved it. Now it is time for the recovery/rebuild, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guestz : It sure took them long enough, didn't it? ;)**

 **Jasmine: I'm glad you're so excited! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and that you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **narutogirl103: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Time Turner: These next chapters make me so excited too because we are finally getting all the character development, lol. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Robby the Cyber Warrior: I had to laugh, just a little bit, when I read your review, because I was just so relieved/tickled(?) to see the shared outrage. Literally everything you said I am in total agreement on, and I was so angry at the movie mostly, because they had this golden opportunity to address all these dark issues like neglect and child abuse, and of course if they're going with *all* the Disney villains of canon being on this island and then throwing kids in the mix well, it's legit just a horror movie waiting for the credits to roll, like Disney had some f*ed up villains, man! And so for them to just completely ignore those issues and problems, really pissed me off because I agree, they are painful and dark stories but they need to be told. So here's me, telling the stories and definitely not holding back because, yeah, they need to be out there.**

 **Thank you for the review! I really appreciate it, especially the anger because it means I'm on the right track. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **StoryWriting1414: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and that you liked some of the developments I made. Yes, things will definitely be revealed, and in the mean time I hope you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **Ravenclawesomelovegood: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm really glad you enjoy my story so much, haha. No, Roger isn't Carlos' dad. I debated it briefly as a Plan B plot point but ultimately stuck with my Plan A because Roger wouldn't do that to Anita. But don't worry, I've got my headcanons for theVKs' other parents and it will all be revealed in time. And no, the VKs are officially staying in Auradon; Beast kind of decided that after the Fairy Godmother told him about what she found out, so now it's just time for angst and healing, lol. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Million Lights: Hello, welcome to the story and thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying things so far and I hope you will continue to enjoy! :)**

 **BlueMoon007: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **Kry Chi : I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much. It was definitely more positive, lol, and this one even more so. As for the wolf, yes he's pretty much the 'Big Bad Wolf' from little red to whenever the stories used a 'lurking wolf in the forests' for their stories; but no, he's not the same character that Mal killed in place of Jay- that was just a greedy merchant who was following the Isle way and being a cheat. ;)**

 **Descendants5HLM: I'm going to PM you to respond because my notes already take up so much space and I want to make some kind of pitiful attempt to conserve that space. But please don't feel like I'm ignoring you, I loved your review in all its length! Seriously, please keep them coming! I'll chat with you soon and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much! :D**

 **Danifan3000: Yeah, the Auradonians have some messed up logic going on, starting with the creation of the Isle in the first place! But it will all be faced up to for sure, and in the mean time I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guest 2.0: I enjoyed both of your reviews, just so you know. ;)**  
 **And I'm glad you're enjoying the way I'm portraying all the characters. Yeah Jay does tend to get ignored in the fandom, and it makes me said cuz he's part of the Core Four for a reason guys and it's not just to even the numbers!**  
 **And yes Carlos is going to be having a little dilemma with that and I'm looking forward to exploring that as well, and all the angst that that will entail, lol.**  
 **The dark side really does have awesome ships though, like, what gives, geez. Here I am not planning on doing any ships for this story and it's just like hope, here's the ships you're going to be doing. I had no say. ;)**  
 **Anyway I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Guest: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoy my story so much and I hope you will continue to read and Enjoy! :)**

 **AngstyDraggy: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words. It really means a lot that you're enjoying my writing and I hope you will continue to Enjoy!**

 **ceara1888: Thank you for the review! I'm really glad you're enjoying everything so far. As for that storyline well, all I can say is, your wish is my command. ;) Hope you enjoy!**

 **tigerladygamer: Easy now, good tiger. Haha, Mal definitely isn't pleased and she's got her own personal revenge all ready to go so don't you worry! Maybe once that's done you can sink your teeth into what's left of him, how's that sound? ;)**

 **Guest 2: Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much! You're not the only one, trust me. The trick is convincing Audrey that she needs to be in the same room as the VKs, lol. But don't worry, I do actually plan on addressing that too. In the meantime I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **LunarFullbuster25: Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! Hopefully this update came fast enough for you and you'll continue to enjoy the story! :)**

 **Alex: Thank you so much for the kind words! It really means a lot and I'm glad you're enjoying what I've come up with so far. I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Srasi: Thank you for the review and the kind words! I hope you will enjoy this chapter just as much.**

 **Orange Peels: Lol, I loved your review so much. It made me happy because it reminded that there are still people discovering this for the first time and every little twist is being experienced in different ways. It's definitely not irrelevant, because it's relevant to you in the moment, haha. And yes, it's a 40 thieves reference! :D Thanks for the review and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Guest 3: Thank your the review. Don't worry, while this story will contain elements of Bal, the ship is not actually going to sail for this story at least, so never fear, lol.**

 **LilLinkGirl: Haha, thanks for the review and the enthusiasm! Glad to have you along and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying! :)**

 **Guest 4: Well welcome to the story! You're just in time for the latest chapter, lol. Thank you for the review and the kind words, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Author's Notes!**

 **Note 1:**

 **This note is just to explain my canons/headcanon concerning the Isle, since some recent plot developments have caused a confusion.**

 **So for the Isle, all will be revealed in time but I have a couple of headcanons involving its inception, one of which was based on a plot hole the movie actually created, involving The Timeframe! In the beginning narration it's established that Belle and Beast married 20 years ago, and Beast was 28 years old when they married (Official Disney canon for Belle and Beast says that they were 17 and 21 respectively at the end of their movie but Descendants seems to ignore that), and Ben is 16 in the movie and if you're going on them having had him right away, there's a good 4 year gap between their marriage/his birth and the start of the movie, and they started uniting the kingdoms as soon as they got married, but the Isle hadn't existed yet. So, based on that alone it means that it took 4 years to build the Isle and expand the kingdom.**

 **Meanwhile, the villains are all still just chilling, and sure they're being gathered up and maybe imprisoned or at least kept an eye on, but they're more or less still there, and they're not just twiddling their thumbs. They're scheming and having kids, which of course, when the Auradonians realize that crap, there are some villains who are pregnant, they start pointing fingers and scrambling for solutions; speeding up the Isle production because we don't want tiny villains running around. Of course, some tiny villains are born anyway, cuz I mean again, did they think the villains were just going to sit by idly for 4 years?**

 **And that's where I have my one big problem with Descendants, because I mean, the villains are obviously not going to wait till they're on the Isle to have kids and continue their legacy/plot their revenge, etc. There's going to be some older VKs in there (and there are) which means that those particular VKs were born/conceived before the Isle was finished, and the Auradonians sent them all over anyway.**

 **And that's all just based on the canon timeline, my only slight tweak I made was making the timing a little longer, 6 years for this story instead of 4, making Ben 18 because 16 is too young to be crowned king, man.**

 **Also! Regarding the comments made from the Council regarding these 'villanous' children's origins. It was mostly a pitiful attempt at casting off blame/making excuses, because while yes in some cases there may have been genuine coercion on the villains' part, there was also just genuine seduction/persuasion, as well as of course the fact that villains _can_ change and learn from their past mistakes/flaws and become sort of decent people (not just enforcing stereotypes here, it's not as black/white as Carlos' outfits) and so for those Auradonians who actually willingly married or dated or slept with villains, they were labeled as having committed treason and marked as villains too and sent to the Isle.**

 **As for the 'claiming' of children, well, when it was first discovered that villains (and some Auradonians) were pregnant and having kids, there were certain plot and spoiler related issues that happened and Auradon started to realize that some things weren't going to work, and decided that, while the barrier was still more or less nonexistent, if any Auradon citizens wished to lay claim to any 'villainous' offspring, they could, at the cost of one of two options: 1) The Auradon parent was banished to the Isle as well, or 2) the child was brought to live with the parent, which was practically unheard of and pretty much laughed off/ignored as a rule because really, a villain growing up in Auradon? Plus, the scandal of any Auradonian actually contributing to the creation of a villain child pretty much just guaranteed the outcome of Option 1 right off the bat.**

 **Anyway I hope my explanations and headcanons make sense and aren't too infuriating (outside of what Auradon did). It's all going to be explained and gone over in the story, too, but I thought I'd explain it here just to clear up some confusion.**

* * *

 **Note 2: So that was my first note to clear up the plot, lol. My second is just to briefly clear up the whole Mal vs. Evie that happened last chapter, as I don't think I did a good enough job providing context clues and people were confused. So that's my bad, but the gist of it boils down to the environment of the Isle, and who each of them have been made to be as people. As has been established, Evie is a manipulator, it's what she does. Mal can definitely manipulate people as well, where the situation provides it, but she's a leader/controller, and not constantly aware of people in the same way Evie is. Evie is _constantly_ aware of people, and how she can twist them to her advantage. And so here she is with this situation: Mal has just decided to let a stranger; specifically a strange _man_ near the group, and suddenly she's out of control and fearing for what's going to happen as a result. (Bearing in mind the VKs' experiences in the past on the Isle.) So she's spiraling and afraid and coping with it the only way she knows how: unhealthily, and through self-harming. At the same time, she's still trying to figure out how to deal with the danger that the Cricket presents, and Mal isn't (to her mind) seeing the danger. So Evie attempts to manipulate Mal and use her spiraling as an example of just why Mal's idea was a bad one to begin with. _That's_ Evie's side.**

 **And Mal might not be aware of 'people,' but she's aware of her group, and very much aware of Evie. She picks up that there's something off about Evie, but it takes her a moment to realize that the 'off' ness is Evie manipulating her. She recognizes the manipulation in the 'mask' of the expression the other girl makes in the middle of the fight- the way it matched the other girl's feelings the night before when Mal was comforting her after her spiral- and then the whole thing explodes from there, with Mal being angry and betrayed that Evie thought that she needed to manipulate her in the first place; and Mal dealing with emotions the only way she knows how- by ignoring them and being a controller. And _that's_ Mal's side, and the official run down of the two most confusing aspects of the chapter.**

* * *

 **Note 3: Whew, ok! Now for the warnings. Main warnings really are just for angst, as nothing actually too terrible happens for once, just emotions and feels, haha.**

 **We finally get the full run down on what happened with Kropp and Carlos' revenge, and honestly there's just so much character development like all my babies are growing up and becoming actually decent human beings and just *sheds happy years.* And of course, the long awaited resolution is here! And important flashbacks including a reappearance of a certain character because I missed writing them and I feel like now is actually a good time to start revealing some more shit.**

 **I know right? Look at me finally getting my shit together and getting to the meat of the plot...30 chapters later...I like to write ok?**

 **Plus you get a letter at the beginning of the chapter this time, to shake things up even more.**

 **Enough out of me, go! Go and enjoy the latest chapter! I look forward to hearing what you think! :)**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 _[Unaddressed letter to Mr. Oscar, Isle of the Lost.]_

 _Carlos._

 _I heard a rumor that they might start letting citizens of Auradon send specific items over to the Isle. Apparently, leaving you all alone over there with no resources isn't panning out. Go figure. I'm rolling my eyes, but it probably doesn't translate as well through ink._

 _Anyway, I'm going to try to send you and your mother some things on the next barges out. I might not exactly be a citizen of Auradon, but I was never really one to let silly things like rules bother me…I mean, if it's for a good reason. Rules are good things, but sometimes you have to break them. Probably not the best advice I could give you, but maybe it'll help somehow._

 _And my gift for you, too. A new book of rules for that game we used to play when you were little, do you remember? I hope you remember…_

 _Love._

* * *

 **Carlos**

He didn't know what it was exactly; whether to the trauma their conversation had brought up, or to the stifling silence between Mal and Evie- neither girl was looking at each other although Carlos could practically _feel_ the emotions flying back and forth between them- but Jay was a lot more willing to tolerate his pestering as they made their way through the back of the kitchens.

"…have this huge workshop just for working metal," he half-whispered eagerly, trailing his fingers over the smooth edges of the plates as they pass them. "I even got to try one of them before I was found out, and it actually _bent_ it, Jay! The whole thing, just like-" he mimes bending a sheet of metal between his fingers, providing the sound effect with no small amount of glee. "And I thought that maybe if I find the right shapes, I could-"

"'Los," Jay says, and Carlos freezes at the other boy's tone, his breath catching in anticipation. "I get that you're excited, but if you don't stop talking, someone is going to hear us."

Jay says the words slowly, as if Carlos' trouble lay with his ears and not his mouth, but he also says them with a teasing grin, and that more than the words is enough to convince Carlos. He huffs and pouts dramatically, but falls silent, and is rewarded when Jay rolls his eyes, that smile staying on his face even as they continue forward. It was almost like being back on the Isle; that same element of stealth and darkness creeping down Carlos' spine, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. He was with Jay, for one, the older boy's presence reassuring just for being there; and for the other, whenever it was just the two of them sneaking about, it had always ended poorly for whoever was on the receiving end of their advance.

Carlos grips the small bottle of the potion tightly to his chest, his body thrumming with nervous energy. Jay has the other bottle, slipped into his hand with venomous ferocity by Mal just before they'd set out.

"An added bonus," she'd said, her eyes so brightly green that Carlos (almost) hadn't been able to see the red rimming them. "Since that bastard of a teacher thought it so necessary to cause Carlos pain…let's see if he'll like the way it feels."

He'd been worried, somehow, as Jay had accepted the vial with a smirk. Worried about how much pain they'd be inflicting on his tormentor; worried about the retribution that would surely come back on them. But Mal's eyes had continued to glint, a shade darker than the unnatural brightness of her anger, but no less intense.

"Wormwood," she'd explained, indicating the vial in Jay's hand. "It's not much, barely more than a swallow, really. Mother thought it could be useful…." she trailed off, and Carlos shuddered because he knew exactly what sort of uses Maleficent must have been thinking. "And so it will be," Mal had finished easily enough, though the green in her eyes had been even darker then. "It won't kill him, but the taste of it will be bitter enough and with the potion, will make it that much more _uncomfortable_ to say the least."

And even Evie couldn't help but smile, just a little, whispering them luck as they'd slipped through the then-empty dining hall and into the kitchens waiting beyond.

"Ok," Jay murmurs, and Carlos straightens, blinking as he peers around.

They're against a side wall, not too far from the main entrance of the kitchen. A giant opening serves as a window above them, where massive trays of food and covered dishes rest, most likely to be grabbed and served from the other side. Below the window, and in front of them, a smaller table with more personalizes mugs and containers of drink sits, and Carlos feels his heart jump with adrenaline.

"That one," he mutters to Jay, pointing shakily towards the simple silver looking container at the end. "That's his."

"Say no more," Jay crows wickedly, his eyes bright with mischief as he slips the vial Mal had given him from his pocket.

Carlos hands Jay the potion with trembling fingers, and is grateful when the other boy does nothing more than grin at him as he accepts it and gets to work. It takes him no more than a few seconds to unscrew both lids, and Carlos watches with no small amount of fascination as Jay tips the potion neatly into Kropp's drink, before rubbing the few drops of the bitter wormwood all over the inside rim of the bottle. Jay replaces the lid with expert care and ease, and then they're off, sprinting back the way they'd come and slipping through the doors and out into the school hallway.

"Well?" Mal's voice demands before Carlos had finished panting, and he laughs breathlessly with delight in place of an answer.

"Please, you really think that I _wouldn't_ succeed?" Jay brags shamelessly, and Carlos shoves him with his elbow and snickers when the other boy trips.

"Good," Mal says, grinning just as brightly, but it freezes somewhat on her face as Evie brushes carefully past her.

"All that's left is you, Carlos," Evie says, and Carlos feels some of his excitement drain at the stiff what both girls were holding themselves; as if they were one word away from screaming. "You ready for class?"

And there's an eager and sly sort of smile on her face, but it doesn't match the coldness in her eyes and Carlos sets his expression and locks onto it instantly, glancing pointedly between Mal and Evie.

"I am," he says, and he knows she picked up on his observation because Evie flinches slightly. "Are you two?"

"We're fine, 'Los," Mal responds, and Evie's shoulders slump like she'd wanted to be the one to speak but now absolutely could not. "Just worry about how you're going to describe everything because I want _details_ of this, do you understand?"

Carlos snorts in spite of himself; in spite of the tension, and he lets himself nod and get caught up again by Jay, who grips him into a headlock and drags him down the hallway.

"Come _on_ Carlos!" The other boy teases in his ear, laughter rumbling in his chest when Carlos start kicking at him. "We don't want to be late, do we?"

"Let go!" Carlos hisses, kicking Jay again until he can breathe. "Asshole," he growls, but he thinks he's blushing too hard for his hostility to be believed.

Jay flips him off with nothing more than a wink, and laughs when Carlos tries to shove him off balance again, continuing the path towards the biology classroom. It's only as they're about to turn the final hall that Jay does trip again, the hand he throws out to press Carlos to the wall the only thing that keeps the smaller boy from following him down. Carlos registers the faint whoosh of movement from someone passing too close too fast, and Jay growls as he shoves himself upright, recognizing the same thing.

"Hey, watch where you're-" His shout tapers off abruptly, and Carlos blinks up at a matching, but distinctly different set of tanned skin and dark curls.

"Oh," Carlos manages, and even then he's not sure if he'd actually made a sound at all, given that neither of the boys standing there acknowledges it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jay snarls, and Carlos thinks he should be doing something to stop him but all he can do is blink.

"Oh I'm sorry." Aziz's voice sounds strange; cold and distant, not warm and friendly like it was supposed to. "Didn't see you there. I'll make sure to be more careful next time, though. Wouldn't want to step in anything unsavory."

"Hey," Carlos snaps then, not sure where he got the courage. Or maybe it was just cowardice. "That was uncalled for."

"Shut it, 'Los," Jay growls beside him, but Carlos thinks that most of the sound had come from trying to hide how hard he was shaking.

"No, he's right," Nikki suddenly pipes up, though the coldness of his voice is directed at the boy beside him, his dark eyes narrow. "That was uncalled for Aziz."

"Yeah?" Aziz scoffs, his own eyes flickering with hurt and rage. "About as uncalled for as-"

"Back off!" Jay tries, he really does, but he's pressed too tightly against the wall for it to be anything but a whine. Carlos feels his breath catch and his heart stop because things had been going so _well_ , and also he recognized that look in Jay's eyes now and if he really did have another episode now _was not the time for it_.

"And why should I?" Aziz challenges instead, even though Nikki grips his arm tightly to keep him in place. "Why should I be the one to back off and apologize when you get to just…."

"Aziz," Nikki says, and his voice is low and brokering no arguments. "Shut up."

Carlos thinks the other boy might have protested, but the sound is dull in comparison to the way Jay's breath catches in his throat, another weak sort of attempt at intimidation dying in his chest as he grits his jaw so tightly Carlos half-fears he might break his teeth with the force.

"Jay," Carlos whispers, his own chest throbbing with the weight of his heartbeat. "Jay just, calm…calm down. It's ok."

Another noise behind him, but Carlos doesn't dare turn to face the audience. Jay wasn't quite panicked yet, but if Carlos made the wrong move, he just might. Although…he didn't really panic, did he? Carlos blinks, remembering vague snatches of a conversation. He sank, more like- into his head- into the memories of…. Carlos feels his own jaw grit as he remembers Jay's confession that morning, and then he sucks a breath because if being still was the problem then he needed to-

"Move," Carlos urges, debating a moment before gripping the edge of Jay's vest and tugging hard as he dares. "Come on Jay, you need to move."

Jay digs in against the pressure, practically slamming himself back against the wall. Carlos winces as his fingers are ripped from the hem of the vest, then sucks a sharp breath when Jay does it again, the force of the blow rattling through his bones as if _he_ were the one in pain.

"What. the. fuck."

Carlos flinches, and he has to face the audience now because there was no way they could get through this without attention, and he has to be able to control just how much further this goes. Nikki stands with a hand on Aziz's chest, pushing back as if he's worried the other boy might leap at Carlos. Which is odd, really…why would he try and stop him when he had fairly good reason to do so? But Carlos shoves it out of his mind because they were _staring at Jay_ and he had to do something about that.

"Look, I get that…you're both pissed and you should be…and you can take whatever revenge you want from me. But could…could you please back away from Jay?"

Aziz gives a shake of his head, but not, as Carlos initially fears, in denial. The furrow of his brow suggests misunderstanding, and he pushes almost testingly against Nikki's hand, bringing him closer -if only marginally so- to Jay. Jay flinches and slams back against the wall again, and Carlos sets his features sharply into _callous_ and growls.

"I said back. off!" He snarls, shoving himself forward in such a way to force the other boys to step back to avoid him. "You're just making it _worse_!"

"Alright then, we'll just stay back here," Nikki mumbles, and it might have been comforting if it had been anyone else at any other time.

"What exactly is 'this'?" Aziz snaps instead, and Nikki grabs his arm again and frowns.

"No," he scolds, but Carlos all but shouts it, making both of them jump.

"No!" He growls again, baring his teeth viciously even as panic squeezes his lungs. "No, just stay. there."

"But _what?_ " Aziz repeats, and it's only then that Carlos is able to see that the other boy's eyes aren't accusing, an urgent sort of worry hardening them in place of anger.

Carlos shakes his head, because it's all he thinks he can manage without risking losing more air to speak, and slowly makes his way back to Jay, keeping his eyes locked on the other two boys to be sure they stay in place. It's only when he's back by Jay's shivering side that he dares turn, and even then he still makes sure he's between them.

"Jay," he says lowly, though he knows it's pointless, knows that he has the audience's attention and they won't stop watching till it's done. "It's Carlos. If you can hear me, I need you to nod, ok?"

"Stop whispering," Jay says instead, his voice hoarse but _there_. "He used to whisper everything…just…just talk. Keep talking. Please."

Carlos blinks, and he doesn't know if it's relief or just further anxiety tightening his chest at the awareness in Jay's voice. But it's certainly rising anxiety when a breath sucks in sharply behind him and then echoes; a strained hiss of 'he?' that tapers off abruptly in a choke as Carlos growls again in warning.

"I can talk," he assures Jay, then grins and let's himself laugh a little, leaning into Jay's arm. "Hey, Jay, I can actually do that now."

Jay blinks, and a twitch of something crosses his face, though otherwise he remains frozen, his breathing still too shallow. But he hadn't flinched at Carlos touching him, which the smaller boy considers a success in its own right.

"Did I ever tell you that I joined a club here?" he asks, as casually as he can while trying to avoid the instinct to whisper. "They have a theatre club, and Jane took me there once…wait, do you know Jane?"

Jay blinks again, his eyes flickering uncertainly as he turns his head to meet Carlos.' "Small and mousy? Squeaks a lot? Something…something about pumpkins, I think?"

Carlos nods, chuckling slightly at Jay's description. "Yeah, that's her. So she takes me there and Jay the place is huuge! Like, could fit all of de Vil apartment in it three times at least."

"No way," Jay mutters, frowning. "Nothing that big could fit in this school."

"Jay, I swear to Hades, it was literally, that big," Carlos vows solemnly, though relief continues to fill him. Jay knew they were in Auradon at least, even if he was still plastered to the wall.

"Yeah sure," Jay mocks, but he's listening and focused on Carlos and that's all the boy really needed.

"So we get there, and these other kids are already there, and they're singing my mom's song, you know?" He continues, and though Jay looks confused, he nods along. "But the one kid couldn't get the words right, so I started singing it for him."

"Wait, you sing?"

"You sing?"

It's Aziz first, then Jay, though Carlos pointedly decides to answer Jay.

"I've always sung, remember? You kept saying how it ruined the stealth when I got nervous and sang during missions back on the Isle, but actually I'm pretty sure it made you less nervous, too."

"Fuck off," Jay snorts, and he shoves Carlos away with a smirk.

"But so I sang her song, right?" Carlos continues the story eagerly now, unable to keep from smiling just a bit as Jay adjust his posture and leans much more easily against the wall now, his arms folded loosely over his chest.

"Right," Jay drawls, though his eyes are sharp and fixed over Carlos' shoulder suddenly, and Carlos curses because how he could have forgotten?

"Jay," he says slowly, deliberately not-whispering.

"No, keep going," Jay says back, and his mouth smiles but his eyes are distant again. "I want to hear about what they thought of your tone-deaf attempt at singing."

"Asshole," Carlos hisses, if only because it was required, and continues. "Anyway, turns out they liked it, and said that I could join the club. So. Yeah, I'm part of a club and it was kinda neat."

"It _is_ neat," Jay agrees, and his tone is steel. "Almost as neat as the fact that I haven't killed you yet."

Carlos jerks a moment before he realizes that the words are being spoken to the audience behind him, and he curses again and whirls sharply, grabbing Jay's arm and pulling hard to stop his sudden move forward.

"What the legit actual fuck?!" Aziz yelps, but he wasn't moving from where Carlos had directed him and that alone makes Carlos' decision for him.

"Jay," he starts to say, but Jay's jaw hardens again with a glare.

"No."

"Jay," Carlos insists, or at least, tries to.

"No!" Jay snarls, but there's something pained and hollow in his eyes again. "No, I'm not doing this again…I'm not…going through this again…you…you can't make me."

"What's real, Jay?" Carlos says, instead of cringing away and hiding like he desperately wanted to do. "Tell me what's real about Auradon."

Jay shakes his head instead, anger and pain and fear seizing his muscles so tightly Carlos half wonders if the only thing keeping that pressure from releasing violently was the fact that he still stood in Jay's way. It made him more than just a little happy that Jay would restrain himself to keep from hurting him; but also worried because he was such a fragile defense and he had to try and control this while he still could.

"Food," he mutters to Jay, when the other boy still didn't respond. "Bed. Nice…well…mostly nice people. _Different_ people," he tries to emphasize. "They're different people, Jay."

"Yeah, I know they're different people, Carlos, that's _why_ I have to-"

"No, you don't," Carlos replies. "You didn't when you first met, and when you joked about being a street rat."

Aziz blinks, like he hadn't thought Carlos had known about that, but Jay's breath shudders in his throat as it catches, a fresh sort of open-ness in his eyes.

"That," Carlos urges, desperately hoping…hoping…maybe…. "That's what's real, Jay."

Jay is silent, but Carlos can see him turning it over in his head at last, something connecting there that hadn't before.

"You know what else is real?" Nikki's voice is hesitant, probing, but without force.

He glances to Carlos, almost like he's asking permission, and Carlos realizes that even Nikki hadn't moved an inch from where he'd been placed. It builds that desperate hope inside Carlos to a near painful point, but he manages to keep himself composed enough to nod ever so slightly. Nikki relaxes then, equally relieved, and even manages something of a smile as he takes a single step forward and stops.

"That fact that if we don't move soon, we're all going to be late."

The bell rings above him as if to prove his point, and his grin is a bit more genuine as he makes eye contact with Jay, if slightly uncertain.

"What do you say we…table this for later?" he offers slowly, his voice soft but nowhere near the dreaded whisper. "Ok? Put in on the back burner."

"Put it…what?" Jay flounders, and Aziz makes a short sound of disbelief, his eyes guarded, but not quite as hostile.

"Geez, I forgot. You really _don't_ do metaphors, do you?"

Jay glares, the scowl twisting his lips like he's searching for the insult. Aziz tenses a moment, then sighs and returns Jay's glare with a cautious smirk.

"Putting it on the back burner basically means just setting it aside for now. We're not… _forgetting_ it…but it's no longer the main focus."

"Pretty much, yeah," Nikki agrees, though there's something secret and proud in his eyes as he smiles at Aziz. "We'll come back to it, but it's not in danger of boiling over."

"So it's a food thing then?" Jay frowns, but it's confusion and curiosity only. "What does that have to do with trying not to kill each other? Or does it mean we're waiting to do that? Oh…oh wait I got it."

"Took you long enough!" Aziz scoffs, but the strain around his eyes is gone, relief obvious in his grin as the bell rings above them a second time.

"Ok but speaking of, we seriously need to-"

"Yeah, yeah," Aziz waves off Nikki's complaint with ease. "Geez, you're such a goody-two-shoes."

"I'm dating you though, aren't I?"

Aziz makes a choking noise and staggers, clutching his chest, and Carlos stiffens at first because they'd just gotten through this…but then Jay snorts, and he snaps his head over just in time to see the other boy roll his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean, Nikki?" Aziz wails, and Nikki drops his head into his palm and shakes his head while the other boy simpers.

"Well it's obviously nothing to do with you being a street rat, since that would just be _ridiculous_ ," Jay prods with a sly grin that does wonders to hide his slight unease.

"But it is ridiculous," Aziz whines, crossing his arms in a gesture similar to Jay's. "If anything we balance out and corrupt each other, that's why we work."

"I honestly doubt the Fairy Godmother is going to care about the specifics of our relationship when she gives us detention for being late," Nikki snaps, and Aziz flips him off before demurring at the glare the other boy throws him in response.

"Fine, ok! I'm coming!"

There's a brief pause where Aziz registers his words, and his eyes twinkle almost rudely.

"That's what-"

"-she said!" Jay choruses, and then both boys freeze sharply before meeting each other's eyes and bursting into hysterics.

"Reuniting them was a bad idea," Carlos mutters to himself without meaning, finally allowing himself to breathe.

"You're telling me." Nikki was suddenly at his shoulder, and he might have jumped if it weren't for something in the other boy's tone, his eyes solemn, that makes Carlos pause. "Was there…someone like us…on the Isle?"

And Carlos blinks and is angry, somehow, that the other boy had been led to believe that he shared any part of that place. "No," he says firmly, eyes focused on the relief of Jay's laughing face. "No, there was no one like you guys on the Isle."

* * *

 **Audrey**

She thought she'd known what the worst part would be. When Ben had told her his idea for his first decree, she'd been preparing herself for all the things that having the children of their parents' villains would bring. And for the most part, she was holding up quite well considering, but she hadn't thought to prepare for something like:

"Where should I put my seal?"

The words that come out of King Adam's mouth are calculated, though the sympathy and guilt that layer them are not. It strikes Audrey then that the entire trial had been calculated; maybe not to an extensive degree, but there had been a _purpose_ behind each and every one of Ben's actions, right down to raging at the Council like the feared beast he was supposed to have no part of.

"You were never going to send them back. Were you?"

She hadn't held Ben's hand once through the meeting -and a small part of her wondered why, while another larger part knew exactly- but she clung to him now, her fingers so tight she's almost certain they'll leave a mark.

Good, she thinks. Let it. Maybe then he'll have something to look at to remind him to _think._

"Ah, that hurts!" Ben hisses, sucking a sharp breath in place of the answer she'd wanted. He grimaces and strategically frees himself, forcibly working her stiff fingers to loop through his own in much more gentle embrace.

"Ben!" she hisses right back, not caring now who happened to hear. He'd caused enough of a scene for the both of them, she's sure. "What the hell just happened in there?"

"Whoa," he says, blinking. His blue eyes are wide and entirely too bewildered to be forced, and she wants to scream because he's still such a child and yet…. "Audrey, what."

"The whole thing was show, wasn't it?" She ignores his confusion, ignores the hurt that stabs at her own chest. "You were never going to send them back in the first place."

He blinks again, and Audrey's fingers tingle with sudden cold. "Did…did you _want_ me to?"

"Don't do that." She scowls sharply, winding her fingers around the hem of her dress to replace the warmth of his hand. "I didn't shoot your dog, Ben, so don't make me out to be some horrible person, just because I want to be safe."

It might not have been a dog, but she'd definitely just killed something. She swallows hard and turns her head to watch the last few Council members exit the chamber. When she finally looks back, the intensity in Ben's eyes is so sharp she flinches in spite of herself.

"What is that supposed to mean, Audrey?" His voice is too soft, too betrayed. "Are you not safe?"

She shivers, but finds her anger and lets it override the part of her that wants to just run. "Stop playing ignorant! You were smart enough to work all _this_ out so why can you still not see the obvious?"

"Ok, then let me see if I got this right. You don't want the VKs in Auradon just as much as the rest of the Council. You think that just because their parents are villains, they are too; or will be. You're afraid and angry because their being here means you can't ignore what you did to them, whether or not you 'directly' had something to do with it. That about it?"

She regrets pushing him, but not because he's right. Because he's angry, and hurt, and still not thinking.

"You forgot the part where they've already proved-"

"Proved what, Audrey?!" A head turns, she can _feel_ the eyes, but they pale in significance to the blaze burning in Ben's. "If anything all they've done is show just what _we've_ done to them; what they've been driven to do and become because we were playing 'hero.'"

He trails off, and something in the eyes dims, but not enough to ease the pressure building inside her.

"I don't get it," he mutters. "What are you afraid of?"

Literally everything, she wants to scream at him. I'm afraid at night because it's so quiet in the dorm and I keep thinking something must be wrong because I can't hear my parents arguing in the next room. I'm afraid when I wake up because I forget for a second and then I remember and I have to watch him leave all over again. I'm afraid because the daughter of Maleficent is existing in the same building as I am; I'm afraid that I'm going to turn a corner and I'll see a spinning wheel waiting to kill me. I'm afraid that I'll turn a corner and _she'll_ be there instead, not to kill me but to apologize, and somehow that will be worse. I'm afraid of each day because I'm that much closer to doing _something_ , and it won't be perfect and I'll lose you like I already am.

"This," she says instead. "I'm afraid of this."

"I don't…Audrey." He's all soft again, a hand coming up like he wants to cradle her cheek. After a moment, he does just that, stepping forward and cupping her face with his palm, his pinky just brushing the hair by her ear. "I don't understand."

She tastes salt, which is funny because she doesn't remember when she decided to cry, only that she can feel the uncomfortable dampness as it falls into his hand to be pressed back against her jaw. Someone takes a breath, but it's held, and the words she wants to hear- the ones she wants to say- are lost in the exhale.

"That's the problem," she whispers instead. "You don't…and you never will."

When she opens her eyes again he's gone, pulled away by some dignitary from Arendelle, and it's only fitting, really. Had he truly been hers to hold onto in the first place?

* * *

 _ **Carlos**_

"So uh…how are we playing this?"

Jay still sounds a bit breathless, and Carlos guiltily thinks that he must still be reconciling things and that he wouldn't have needed to do that if he'd actually managed to be _helpful_ when Jay needed him…. But then he looks over and sees that Jay is smirking, and the tightness eases from his chest.

"Same as usual?" Carlos offers, trying to imitate Jay's confidence. "Except this time, I can talk, so not the same as usual."

"Yeah, ok," Jay says, and they enter the classroom and take their seats.

It takes a strange amount of time for Kropp to enter the classroom, but he finally stumbles in; much to the growing discord of the class. Carlos notes right away that the fact that the teacher hadn't already been present at the start of the class was clue enough to the success of their plan. The teacher's face is flushed, a look on his face like he had swallowed something sour, which, he had.

"Is it just me, or does he look flustered?" Jay mutters, still grinning. Carlos doesn't dare say anything back, though he can't quite contain his excitement either.

Kropp fumbles the stack of papers in his hands as he works to put his bottle on the table, and there's a wonderful sound of giggling at the teacher's expense before he glares sharply and silences it.

"That's q-q-quite enough of ththat," he spits, then flushes even harder, something bitter and mortified flashing across his face as the class rumbles with cautious laughter.

"Yeah," Carlos whispers to Jay, smiling as widely as he dares. "Definitely flustered."

A hand shoots up to their right, and Lonnie speaks before the teacher has a chance to compose himself.

"Mr. Kropp, are you ok? You don't uh…you sound kinda…off."

The wicked glint of mischief in Lonnie's eyes is only seen by Carlos, as she composes her expression into one of solemn concern when the teacher glares her way.

"Th-thank you for the cccconcern, Miss Li," he fumbles, as stiffly as he can with Carlos' inherited speech pattern. "But I am fu-fu-fine."

More snickering ensues from the class, but it's subdued with another fierce glare, and Lonnie takes her seat as Kropp turns to write furiously on the board.

"I don't know how you guys did it," Lonnie murmurs from the seat across from them. "But _yes._ Just…yes."

Jay winks at her and she stifles a laugh behind her hand, and even Carlos can't help the noise of amusement he makes because he never would have thought to have found such a strong ally in trouble. Unfortunately for him, his amusement is noticed by more than just his classmate, and he flinches as Kropp's ruler cracks sharply against the edge of his desk; a phantom sting throbbing in his cheek.

"M-m-mr. de Vvil," Kropp chokes out, an eye twitching in rage. "W-why don't you come up to the b-b-board?"

Carlos glances apprehensively to the drawing board in question, then feels a short burst of air leave him in a breathless laugh because really? Another square? It was as if the man hadn't learned from the first time Carlos had done this. But he tried to maintain the air of nervous and cowed as he ducks his head and shuffles slowly to the front of the class, holding onto the illusion just a bit longer.

"W-well?!" The teacher demands, and Carlos dutifully reaches for the marker.

"Doesn't feel so good, does it?" he whispers lowly to Kropp, his fingers just brushing the surface of the marker. "Not being in control?"

Kropp freezes, and Carlos grabs the marker tightly to replace the odd 'pin drop' hollow of sound.

"Hurts, maybe?" he continues, twisting the cap off slowly, savoring the way the words form perfectly; no bumps; no glitches of thought. Words forming in his brain- words coming out of his mouth. The way they should.

He can see the realization hit Kropp even before he gets the cap all the way off, the man seeming to shrink as Carlos swells with a strange burst of confidence.

"Maybe if you pay attention, you'll actually learn something," he finishes, lifting the marker with a proud flourish and turning his back on the stunned teacher.

"Well class," Carlos begins, and he revels in the shock that ripples through the class before he continues on in only partial mockery. "Continuing on the previous lessons of what exactly makes up a person; it is far more than just simple genetics."

"Sssit down!" Kropp hisses then, face a purplish shade of red. "Re-return to your sseat at o-once!"

Carlos is all too happy to pretend not to hear, simply lifting his chin and continuing in a business-like manner.

"There's also another factor that comes into play- and that is the issue of Nature vs. Nurture. Does anyone want to try and explain what that means?"

He's not prepared for the hand that lifts from the back of the classroom, but the boy speaks before he can recover his surprise; standing carefully from his chair, grey eyes unreadable despite the upward flicker of his lips.

"I take it it's got something to do with the environment someone was raised in; versus whatever they might be inclined towards due to birth."

"That's…yeah," Carlos falters, then recovers quickly, straightening again and nodding at Chad Charming. "That's exactly right, Chad. Does anyone want to take a stab as to which is more important?"

There's a murmuring of debate, but an answer comes in the form of a flushed and furious Kropp, the man practically vibrating with the force of his rage.

"A-alright, de Vvvil. You've ha-ha-ha-had your ffun but that is en- _enough_!"

Carlos fights to keep his flinch under control, and manages only a brief twitch as Kropp's hand jerks threateningly at his side.

"Gen-genetics will _always_ bbbe the deciding f-fa-fac-factor; the environment only ssolidifies wh-what was already there!"

"And _that_ class," Carlos retorts as haughtily as he dares (and oh does he dare), "is where our _esteemed_ teacher is wrong. Yes, someone's genetics and heritage will certainly have some level of predetermination; but it's impossible putting _everything_ into little boxes and say 'there's the result.' It takes a multitude of factors to make up a single person; not the least of which being their _own_ decisions and abilities."

The bell rings sharply, and Carlos lets out a genuine sigh of disappointment. "That's all the time we have, apparently," he mutters with a shrug. "But I do hope you've all learned something from this."

And even when the class files out one by one; even as Jay is forcibly carried out with them and thus, leaving him alone with the irate teacher; even as the ruler cracks down and the man rages about 'taking him to see Fairy Godmother about this'- Carlos can't help but smile. Because Chad Charming had _nodded_ to him as he'd left the classroom, a hard cast to his eyes that did nothing to the hide the obvious authenticity of the unspoken 'I heard you, and I learned something' that radiated from the other boy. And that alone made the whole thing worth it because if _Chad Charming_ was willing to learn, then who was to say the rest of Auradon couldn't as well?

* * *

 **Chad**

"You really need to stop being right about the VKs," his roommate grumbles with little ceremony, all but kicking the door open as he shuffles into the dorm.

"Care to elaborate on that?" Chad questions, lifting a brow as Nikhil trails in after Aziz, the other boy at least making an effort to close the door gently before flopping down into the nearest bean bag chair.

"We ran into Carlos and Jay this morning," Nihil murmurs, and Chad sucks in a sharp breath and is immediately alert.

"What?"

"A bit literally," Aziz adds, sitting on the floor and leaning his head back against boyfriend's knees. "It turns out…that you were right…again…and I feel bad because now _I'm_ the asshole."

"And by that he means the whole 'more to the situation' bit..."

"I think….we think that there was someone on the Isle- who may or may not have been like us- and we think that someone might have abused Jay."

Aziz's words tumble out in an agitated rush, and are no less fervent or effective even given his reclining position. Chad feels something twist sharply in his stomach, but he tries not to let it show as he slowly sits up on his bed and places his feet firmly on the floor; a poor attempt at grounding but it would have to do.

"Well um…we kinda figured the VKs didn't have the best-"

 _"Chad."_

"I know," he mutters, running his fingers shakily through his hair, his mouth dry. "Fuck, I know that's not what you meant. Shit…."

"Yeah," Nikhil says, his eyes hollow and pained. "Shit."

"How do you even…I mean what makes you think…." He can't even get the words out, but his brain helpfully continues the horrifying thought.

"What makes us think that someone-"

"Gods don't _say_ it!" Chad hisses, his stomach turning dangerously at the thought.

Aziz shoots him a baleful look but falls silent, narrow eyes like granite as they pierce Chad's own.

"Nikki was right," he says instead, shifting anxiously against the other boy and frowning. "When he said it was fear…I mean, I was expecting a confrontation but it's…I don't know it was like...damn I don't know. But he was fucking terrified, Chad!"

Chad feels his own frown tugging at his face, his lips pursing in consternation. "Of…you?"

Nikhil shakes his head slowly, something conflicted crossing his face. "No, more of…what we represented. What we meant, in his mind- to whatever he went through that he 'wasn't going to go through again.'"

"He said that?" Chad questions, stunned disbelief coloring his tone.

A grave nod is all he gets in response, and he's glad it's nowhere near dinner because he thinks if he'd eaten anything, he'd have thrown it right back up again.

"We're going to talk about it," Nikhil continues firmly, his eyes determined. "At dinner. We sort of…patched things up?"

"At least as far as the rampant homophobia," Aziz deadpans, a small glint in his eyes. "This is a nice, if not equally fucked up change of pace."

Any reply Chad might have made to that is halted by a soft knock at the door. Aziz pouts, but Nikhil rises obligingly from the chair, the latch clicking the only sound for a moment.

Then:

"Oh. Uh…Chad. It's for you?"

Chad lifts both brows, then jerks sharply at the two figures standing in the doorway. Aziz is on his feet abruptly, smoothing his jacket and hair with a nervous chuckle.

"Hey, Mr- um…Your Highnesses…"

"Mom? Dad?"

Chad doesn't know what the thing in his throat is, but his roommate gives an awkward shuffle and coughs, and he blinks back into awareness.

"We'll see you at dinner," Nikhil says tactfully, shoving Aziz out the door and leaving Chad alone with his parents.

"Look I know I haven't been keeping in touch-"

His mom's arms are around him before he can finish, her calloused fingers stroking his hair back from his face, deep blue eyes bright with unshed tears. She smells like fake lemon and flowers, but there's no trace of pain lingering in her eyes; at least, outside of what he's caused her he's sure.

"You've lost weight," she says instantly, and he sighs into her familiar embrace, letting himself be comforted by his mother's presence instead of stifled by it.

"You always say that, Mom," he mumbles into her shoulder, letting her sandy hair shield his view of his dad, not quite ready to face the man just yet, and not quite sure why.

"Maybe you should listen then," she replies, and her voice takes on an edge that has Chad pulling back sooner than he'd wanted to.

"What's this we've heard about you and the Villain Kids?" his dad asks, stepping further into the room, and Chad's hand twinges with phantom pain.

"Uh-ha, well first they're not 'the Villain Kids' like that," he manages, though his own firmness in undermined by guilt. "Like a label…it's Carlos, Jay, Evie and Mal. And second- it's complicated, I guess?"

"Oh we know," his mom says, and Chad grimaces again at the tone. "We did _not_ raise you to behave so appallingly Chadwick James."

He grimaces at the use of his full name, unable to meet her gaze. It's more than just the words, it's the way they're said- the disappointment and _betrayal_ in her eyes that makes her next words hit that much harder. "You've been acting just like my family."

"And yet," she continues softly, and Chad manages to swallow the stone in his throat. "I am so proud of you, Chad." She hugs him again, and he can hardly breathe past the tightness in his chest. "Because you've _learned_ from what you've done- changed."

He blinks hard because he was not going to cry damn it. But still-

"Well," he finally chokes out, his lips pressed into a watery smile. "I've apparently lost some weight, so that'd definitely cause some changes."

His mom laughs through her tears, clearly not sharing his aversion to the display, tousling his hair out of his face with a delicateness that he would have easily leaned into- if it weren't for the fact that her hands are shaking.

"I guess I'm not the only one who's been through the whole 'it's complicated' thing, then?" he says, finally steady enough to lift his head and meet his dad's eyes. "Meeting didn't go well?"

His dad's jaw sets sharply, and Chad almost regrets asking. But then the façade crumples in the next instant, and the older royal crosses to join the rest of them on the bed. He lowers himself down on Chad's right, and his parents clasp hands over his lap.

"Complicated," his dad sighs ruefully, and his lips twitch like he might laugh at the joke, but his eyes are still too dark. "We aren't sending them back to the Isle; that much is clear."

"Really?" Chad gasps, his head whipping around too fast to be neutral.

"You don't sound upset about that," his dad murmurs carefully, and it's only then that Chad remembers his charade.

"I'm not, actually," he says, charade be damned. This was…too good to be true. "I'm really, genuinely relieved."

His mom gives him another tearful-proud look out of the corner of her eyes, but his own are drawn to the lines digging into the skin around his dad's mouth.

"There's a 'but' in there…" he drawls nervously, and the lines deepen.

"The villain children are staying in Auradon," his dad continues slowly. "Though there's a good bit of debate going on as to what's to be done with them."

"Done with them?" Chad repeats incredulously. "What's that even supposed to mean?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," his dad mutters lowly, and Chad worries at his lip.

"Given Auradon's track record with abuse, things don't really bode well for them," his mom chimes in, a bitter and hollow note to her voice.

Chad shudders involuntarily, and presses himself a bit more in between the comfort of his parents.

"Fairy Godmother mentioned something about that," he offers. "How she was calling in back up or something to help."

"Yes, we've met him," his dad answers, a small hint of reflexive distaste twisting his words. "Jiminy's nephew, I think he said he was."

"I just call him 'Cricket,'" his mom mutters playfully. "Makes it easier."

Chad chuckles in spite of himself, and his dad scoffs lightly from his other side.

"The nickname might be easy, but what he's proposing…it certainly won't be."

"What is he proposing?" Chad asks carefully, already knowing the answer and dreading it regardless.

"Therapy, to put it bluntly." The distaste is more than just a hint now, and Chad shuffles against his mother in a subconscious attempt at comfort.

"Well, more than blunt," his mom attempts, though there's unease in her every set of her features. "He actually has a whole plan in place, and genuinely has the children's best interests and recovery at heart. Which is saying something."

"Of course the real trick is getting to the heart of it all in the first place- finding out just what…what they've been through…."

Chad's eyes narrow, picking up on the strange hitch of breath that breaks through his dad's words.

"You…you guys already know something, don't you?"

"Something," his dad affirms, his tone dark. "But it's not something you need to worry about."

"What _do_ I need to worry about, then?"

"Not picking anymore fights," his mom chides, and Chad lets himself laugh at that.

"No worries there," he promises.

And he smiles; and they smile; and yet Chad can't help the unease that continues to grow steadily in his gut. He might have learned enough- changed enough- that such pettiness was behind him; but he had the feeling that their true worries were only just beginning.

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

"You know, we should really stop meeting like this; people are going to start talking."

The sword at her throat sat in stark contrast to the words spoken at her back, but Mal rolled her eyes regardless, sighing sharply into the dark.

"Daisha."

"Evening, little dragon."

The sword disappeared with a chuckle of metal on metal, and Mal turned, shoving her hair out of her face and glaring at the shadow on the brick wall.

"I'm fourteen, you can't keep calling me 'little' dragon."

"But you _are_ little," the other girl taunted, her voice sounding from the left, even though her shadow still stood firmly in front of her. "And on my turf, so I'd say I can call you whatever I want, wouldn't you agree?"

There was something in her voice that Mal couldn't interpret; a strange spark like a laugh, but deeper, somehow.

"What do you want?" she snapped, turning to the right and glaring triumphantly as Daisha materialized there a moment later.

"Hey no fair!" The other girl pouted, even though her eyes laughed. "You can't ask me my own question before I get to."

"I'm forming a group," Mal answered, lifting her chin in annoyance as Daisha melted into shadow again.

"On _this_ side of the Isle?" Came the bodiless retort. "Don't know if you've noticed, but this territory's already been claimed."

"One of the people in my group lives on this side of the Isle," Mal huffed, hands on her hips. "So I'm here."

"And so am I," Daisha's voice came from behind, her breath tickling the back of Mal's neck. "When am I going to get an invitation?"

"I thought…I thought you said you weren't interested in the other side of the Isle," Mal muttered shakily, her brain taking longer than it should to form rational thoughts.

"Maybe. But I never said I wasn't interested in people on the other side of the Isle," Daisha breathed, and Mal's mouth went dry, her brain stuttering almost as bad as Cruella's kid.

"Have you been…flirting? With me?"

Daisha's laugh was felt all the way down to her toes, her lips just brushing the skin of Mal's neck. "About time you noticed."

Instinct. It was instinct, nothing more. Only instinct that was making her act this way. And it was only instinct that spurred Mal's reaction; her knife in her hand before she could command it to; her body turning sharply and flying backwards and _away._

Silence.

"Is this not...did I...do something wrong?"

"...No."

"Then…?"

"Because this usually the part where you reveal what it is you actually want, and then pain when I don't give it to you."

Silence.

"Just you."

A sharp breath.

"What?"

Golden brown eyes on green. A slow, careful smile.

"What I want? Just you. Is that wrong?"

"No."

Traitorous admission, but an admission nonetheless. Golden eyes that seem to glow, just for a second. Green eyes that flicker with deadly longing.

"No?"

A whisper of breath.

"…No."

Daisha is there then. Real and solid and in front of her and not disappearing. Golden brown eyes bright with something haughty and proud and altogether fascinating.

"Just don't expect me to join your little gang, because that _would_ be wrong."

"Shut up!"

"And?"

"…And kiss me?"

Lips curl up, that draw together with some kind of raw amusement. That curl up and purse. That part with a strange, anticipating gasp and then…press daringly against Mal's own. And all she can think, as their shadows seemed to melt and shift and blur together is _wrong…wrong…wrong…_ **right**.

* * *

 **Ben**

Everything was going wrong. He didn't know how, but everything was falling apart. The VKs were staying in Auradon, and it's a victory that settles in the growing hollow of Ben's chest. He'd met with the Cricket and the Fairy Godmother privately after the initial meeting, to discuss Jiminy's plan moving forward with therapy, and given that everything involving the VKs was still, technically, under Ben's jurisdiction, he'd had to give his approval. Which meant going through the remaining records they had on the VKs' experiences and listening to Jiminy craft his thoughts for sessions from there.

And he had thought somehow that fighting to get them to Auradon was going to be the hard part! And Audrey…her words ring hollow, too, playing in a never ending loop in his head.

 _'This…I'm afraid of this.'_

He had wanted to argue harder; wanted to brush aside her concerns, or at least placate them where he could. But he'd been pulled aside by a representative from Arendelle, and the man's words had only served to add even more of a problem- if they were true. Ben glances down at the scrap of paper shoved hastily into his hand, elegant handwriting reminiscent of a storybook looping a single word. It had prompted even further digging, and Ben was beginning to truly hate what his parents and the founding royals had done in making the Isle; what he had allowed to be done just by turning a blind eye and accepting it for so long.

He knocks on the door to room 17 on a hunch, and is relieved that he'd correctly guessed the VKs would all be in the boy's room. A small part of him underhandedly muses that it has to do with the room's darker colors and theme being what they're used to, but he quickly shoves that part aside and focuses on the pale and nervous faces before him. Well, nervous for all but one.

"I take it that you're going to tell us that it's totally fine that we missed all of our classes today, because we won't be attending anymore classes in Auradon anyway."

Mal's tone is as challenging as ever, her eyes sharp and bitter as they glare at him. Ben shuffles awkwardly in the doorway and tries to figure out how to answer, before finally deciding to just _answer_.

"No, actually," he says, a small smile flickering across his face with genuine relief and amusement. "You guys are staying."

Scattered blinking is all he gets in response, and he chuckles ruefully, running a hand through his hair.

"Wow, glad to see you guys like this place so much. I can feel your enthusiasm from here."

"Wait, you mean you're not joking?" If it hadn't been for the fact that Ben could see the boy's mouth move, he wouldn't have known it was Carlos speaking.

"No," Ben confirms, his smile growing minutely before fading into seriousness. "It was almost unanimous, actually; once…well, once we found out what you guys have been through."

He swears there's an audible snap as the air in the room seems to dissipate suddenly; the relieved glances the VKs had been exchanging replaced with a wary hostility.

"What do you mean 'what we've been through?'" Mal repeats sharply, her eyes narrowed and voice a low rumble. "And who is 'we?'"

"The- the Council," Ben clarifies hastily, suddenly realizing the danger in what he's done, but it's far too late to unspeak the words. "We uh…we know what happened to Jay."

Jay, for his part, only looks mildly confused. It's Mal who looks like she's going to kill him (and he should have taken it more seriously, but he didn't).

"And what," she says slowly, green eyes bright, "do you _think_ you know?"

"I…we know about the Persian...the Wolf. We…we know."

She had been giving him a way out, he realized only after he had spoken. But the words are still out there and he vaguely wishes he could just go back to when he'd only made a fool of himself in front of the Council.

He's expecting shock.

What he doesn't expect is for Jay to let out a choked cry and a small projectile embedding itself suddenly in the wood of the door frame only a breath away from his ear.

"Damn," Mal mutters, her voice a hiss. "I missed. Auradon's made me soft after all."

It's a letter opener, he sees when he dares to breathe again, and though it was dulled according to its purpose; it was somehow still _embedded in the wood_ , and it occurs to him for the first time that the VKs are dangerous.

"What…do you have any idea…"

"No, do _you_ have any idea what you've done?" Mal snarls at him, when he staggers away from the knife -and incidentally, further into the room. "What makes you think you have the right to just dig into our lives and put all our secrets on display?"

"It…it was…we had records," Ben chokes out meekly, not sure what else he could say. Not saying anything was key, really, but…. "We had to go looking for them, but we did have them."

"And it didn't occur to you that they were hidden for a _reason_?"

Yeah, he thinks bitterly. To cover up all the actual crimes the good citizens of Auradon committed by sending you there in the first place.

"Mal," Carlos whispers, shattering the tension so suddenly it makes both of them flinch. "Your hands are on fire again."

Ben starts, horrified, but Mal only seems annoyed by the small green flames licking up her wrists. She shakes her hands sharply and they dissipate, but he swears he can still see sparks tracing her fingertips.

"Guess it doesn't matter at this point," she mutters darkly, eyes murderous as they glare at him. "Everyone gets what they wanted; happy endings and all that bullshit. We get to stay in Auradon, and the only cost is our emotional pain and distress."

She cuts off with an almost pointed laugh as she turns to comfort Jay, who was morbidly quiet and shaking against the back wall. An overwhelming wave of guilt and self-loathing dashes sharply over Ben, leaving him feeling cold and oddly detached from the room. Why had he thought…how could he not have….

"Got anything _else_ you want to bring up, Ben, while we're on the subject?"

Mal's voice is poison, and he normally wouldn't have understood how one could describe a tone of voice in such a way if it weren't for the fact the he was choking on it right now. And he knows he shouldn't, know he should stop now while he still has a chance of survival, should throw away the metaphorical cup and not say another damn word.

Except the note is still crumpled and spilling ink into his palm, and so he turns.

And speaks.

"Carlos? Who…who is Ceran?"


	30. Lock the door the ghosts are gaining

**Ho boy do I have a chapter for you guys!**

 **Let's get to the reviews shall we so you can jump right in. As always, don't skip my notes!**

* * *

 **Call Me Random : *me, cackling madly behind the screen at all the secrets soon to be revealed* But yes, Ben sadly doesn't seem to have much self-preservation instinct. I'm head-canoning that he gets it from Belle, since she was so stubborn to insist on loving a Beast regardless of the cost, lol. ;)**

 **But agreed, so much shit has to happen until they can start getting towards ok. Luckily (probably not the right word) for them/you, that shit is starting. And I'm not going to neglect the other Isle kids- I've got backstories and head-canons for days!**

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! (Btw, I don't think you're an idiot, haha. :))**

 **ceara1888: Aw, I'm glad I've got you that hooked! Although sleep is valuable. I'm more than ok if you wait for a more reasonable time to read this. (Says me, who's notoriously stayed up till 2 am multiple time writing this thing because I'm so excited to tell the story, including this chapter as it it's what, 1 am now and I'm updating even though I also have to get up at 6?) ;) **

**It was strange not writing Carlos stuttering, lol. I had to keep reminding myself that he'd taken the potion and that I could write typical dialogue for him. As for Archive, I also keep forgetting I resposted and need to keep a consistent update schedule, haha. *sheepish laughter* It also probably doesn't help that I couldn't sign in because I forgot the password, and couldn't find the book I wrote it down in. Ah, yeah….anyway I hope you will continue to read and enjoy on both sites, and I will get my act together to continue to edits on Archive. :)**

 **ChordOverstreetFan : While I'd be sad to see you go, I'd certainly understand if Bal is what you came to this story looking for. For my story, while I will still be following the plot of the movie and thus, Bal will be included as part of the love potion arc, outside of that no, I'm sorry to say that Bal is not going to be the final pairing/endgame when it's all said and done. While I love the ship and think that it's great, I don't like how the movie sets it up to be a fix it relationship, as if everyone's problems will be solved with this one true pairing, that is, again great, but not what was actually needed. (In my humble, writer obsessed opinion.)**  
 **However, I don't intend to just leave the characters hanging in the dust, I do have other ships and pairings planned (which I can't say because, spoilers) so if you would consider staying, I'd appreciate it, but again, would understand if you wanted to leave if Bal is the main ship you came for.**

 **I hope you'll have enjoyed my story, whichever you decide! :)**

 **Nyehhhh : Haha, thanks for the kind words! I'm glad to have you so excited and obsessed about the crazy stuff that comes out of my head, lol. Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long, and that you'll continue to follow along and enjoy (and obsess. ;))**

 **Guest : A previous reviewer also expressed similar concerns about my plans for the Bal ship. Please see my response to ChordOverstreetFan for the explanation and answer I gave them.**  
 **Or, for the too long/short version; yes Bal will be a thing for this story as the movie makes it a thing with the love potion, but for this story, I do not see Bal as endgame. Meaning, no love potion, no ship. Again, refer to my previous response for the reasons I gave there.**  
 **I'm really sorry if that disappoints you, but I hope you will continue to enjoy the story that I've written regardless.**

 **Guest 2.0: Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter, even though it was just a feels trip of angst, haha. I agree, as with most bad things in the world (including all the issues I'm bringing up in this story), everyone knows it's a problem, but they don't need to anything...until they're forced to, either through sudden added awareness, or when the issue is brought right to their door, and that's definitely something I'm trying to explore (as carefully/sensitively as I can) with this story.**  
 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **BlueMoon007 : Thank you for reviewing, haha. I'm glad you thought it was so amazing. And yes, everything's unraveling for sure now, but unraveling so it can be put back together. At least that's the plan anyway. Funny you should ask, cuz I've got answers. ;)**  
 **Hope the suspense didn't wear you out too much, and that you'll enjoy this chapter just as much as the last!**

 **Preciouslittletoonette : Welcome and thank you for the review! I'm glad you think my characters are interesting. We'll definitely be getting info and revelations about them both soon (very soon winkwink). I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Robby the Cyber Warrior: Thank you for the kind words, it really means a lot to hear! I'm really glad you think I'm doing such a good job, and I hope that you will continue to be just as ravenous for chapters as I am to put them out there for you! Enjoy! :)**

 **A : (sudden flashback to Pretty little liars)**  
 **Haha, sorry, really wanted to make the reference. ;) But thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. As for who ends up with who, well, we'll have to wait and see won't we? *wink***

 **Magiclover222 : I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Oh yes, don't you worry there will be final judgement for Kropp. As for Ben and Audrey and Mal, well the triangle/pentagram/love figurine of indeterminate shape is definitely taking form, lol. And therapy is definitely going to be a mess. But you'll just have to keep reading to find out exactly what goes down. :) Hope you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **EvietoyourMal : Aw, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! Yes, some of the conflict is definitely resolving, while others are only just getting started. Evie and Mal's conflict in particular is kind of just on that borderline, like, they've been through too much for this to ruin their relationship, but it's definitely straining. Add in both of their stubborn natures and unwillingness to talk about the issue well...something's gotta give. As for Audrey, she's afraid of so many things or rather, concerned/worried about so many things, but her main source of anxiety is the relentless need for perfection, since that's all that Auradon (seemingly) demands, so she's struggling a lot now with the sudden knowledge that everything 'perfect' is built on something decidedly less so, and she's scared of what will come when she loses that one support for good; as you'll see in moments to come. :)**  
 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Narutogirl103 : Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and Enjoy!**

 **Fire and Ice 01 : Lol, I can't apologize for the cliffhanger as I just love writing them so much. But I'm glad you love my story so much and I hope you will continue to do so! :)**

 **Guest 3 : Aw, thank you so much for the kind words! Don't you worry I don't have any plans to abandon this story, I just don't really have a set update schedule, haha... I usually try for 2-3 weeks, but it varies with my muse (and my work schedule and homework/college stuff.) Yeah, adulting is hard and annoying and I'd love to write fan fiction all day but alas, I can not.**  
 **But don't you worry, I'll try and be a little more consistent for you and in the mean time I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

 **Time Turner: I know I had so much writing that! Finally getting his say, and his revenge! ;) I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying.**

 **Guest 4 : No need to fear the cliffhanger, a new chapter is here!**

 **Guest 5 : Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm super happy that you like this story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Misuky7 : I suppose there are worse things to be addicted to. ;) Thank you for the review and welcome to the story! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Whew I'm guys, important note time!**

 **Note 1: We are in the movie, I repeat, we are officially getting into the movie plot lines! And it only took me thirty one chapters. *cries***  
 **I only act like I know what I'm doing.**

 **Kidding, kidding. But in all seriousness we are actually making progress, it just took forever to set up the things that I wanted to set up. But now that we've established those things, hopefully now we can get into the more familiar territory of the movie, as you'll soon see. Might just recognize a few lines/scenes. ;)**

 **We also get more sign language, more backstory and letters, as well as Important Plot and Character Development so keep an eye out for that.**

* * *

 **Note 2 : My standard **WARNINGS** for this chapter are ANGST (note the caps) violence, language, mentions/brief descriptions of child abuse and neglect (nothing too graphic but it's there). Mentions and references/implications of assault/abuse, again, nothing graphic but heavily implied. Mental health issues such as depression/anxiety, as well as undefined issues (ie. Cruella), brief mentions/implications of homophobia, and mentions and discussions of death/loss of a child.**

 **As this story has progressed I've done my best to toe the line and try not to be overly graphic or explicit in dealing with certain subject matters. How ever it has been drawn to my attention that while I might not explicitly describe a certain thing, the situations and issues presented are still intense and still disturbing in nature.**

 **It is for that reason that I've decided to change the rating of this story to M , in order to both accurately reflect the themes of the story, and to better protect any viewers who may be sensitive to such things, or otherwise too young.**

 **Moving forward, this story will deal and has dealt heavily with issues such as mental health, child abuse and neglect, and far more triggering/jarring things such as rape and assault. It is not my intention to offend in any way with this story or how I'm presenting these situations. I am however a firm believer in not covering over anything; and by that I mean, these are serious issues and problems, and the only way I feel something can truly be done to solve them and make a difference is by telling the stories and getting them out there.**

 **I am also aware however, of those who may have experience in any way with the issues that I'm presenting here. Again, it is not my intention to harm or offend anyone, and it is my hope that my changing of the rating will also serve to further warn of potential upsetting content. And I will continue to tread carefully and respectfully, and warn of any triggering content as they arrive.**

 **That being said, I hope you all will continue to read, and enjoy, the latest chapter of It's Only True in the Stories.**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **For those interested, the songs that inspired this chapter are 'All that I'm living for' by Evanescence,(title) 'Emergency' by Paramore, 'Get Well' by Icon for Hire, and 'Sorry about your parents' also by Icon for Hire.**

 **Alternative titles for this chapter included 'Till everyone knows we're sick' and 'If you thought I'd bleed then you were wrong.'**

* * *

 ** _Carlos_**

He had been in the dark for so long that when the door finally opened, the light scared him. He pressed his face into the corner and whimpered in place of words. She always hated it when he talked- it was why he'd been put in time out to begin with. He hadn't even meant to say anything either, but she'd been acting funny- acting _scary_ \- and she kept calling him the wrong names and he just wanted to be _Carlos._

"Carlos?!"

The voice that rang out wasn't _her_ , it was him! It took barely two steps before the man was there, scooping him up in his arms and it hurt where he squeezed because _she_ had squeezed him first; but it didn't stop Carlos from squeezing back when he could finally catch his breath. The man's face was scratchy; fuzzy around his chin. But it was still the same face; same dark wavy hair; same sharp eyes; same funny spots on his cheeks. And it didn't matter that everything hurt and that he was still sticky and wet from when he'd made a mess of himself. He was here and squeezing him like he was never going to let go and everything was going to be ok and

"Carlos, what on earth- Ella?"

Carlos squirmed and whimpered again as the man carried him out into the room where _she_ was; hiding his face in the man's shoulder and pretending that _she_ wasn't real. Not real if he can't see her; not hurting him, not screaming not….

"Ella, what have you done to him?"

He wasn't yelling, but there something almost like it in the man's voice, his hands- big and strong but never hurting- squeezed Carlos just a bit tighter to his chest.

"Hm? Oh, I see you found the puppy at last. I wondered where he'd gotten off to."

"Ella...Ella you know C- He is not a puppy, Ella. You know this."

"Of course he is darling, what do you mean? He's got such pretty spots, you know…but he makes too much noise…."

"Is that what you think? Cruella, he is not a puppy, he is a _child!_ "

Carlos flinched and ducked as much of his body under the man's arms as he could, whining at the mean sound in his voice.

"See now you've just gone and set him off," the lady whined just like him, but even that was just wrong because she couldn't be like him. She wasn't allowed to be like him. "Put him back darling, so he can learn to behave."

"Cruella," the man said again, and Carlos squirmed hard enough that he slid down his chest and spilled onto the floor at his feet. "Cruella look at me. Look at _him._ That is Carlos. That is your son, damn it. I _know_ you know this!"

"Do-d-don't," Carlos cried, pressing himself into the crook of the man's knees and trying to get as small as he could. "Don't be-don't be- don't be mmean."

"Now you've don't it!" The lady screeched, and Carlos sobbed, shaking as she boomed her way closer. "Oh don't just let him bark like that! Give him a kick- shuts him right up."

The man flinched, and the sudden movement was enough to startle Carlos out of his terror of the woman, a sharp hissing sound coming from between the man's teeth.

"Cruella- Why don't I take him for a walk? Alright? I'll get him all cleaned up and bring him back in a little while, and this way you get some time to yourself."

Not all of the words made sense to Carlos, but it made sense to the lady. She was making the 'not-happy' noise, and Carlos shivered and wished he could climb back into the man's arms, or at least warn him of that noise. That noise always meant bad things; meant hot on his skin, smoke in his face; meant dark rooms and too tight squeezes and " _Why aren't you him? Where is my baby, what have you done? Where is Ceran, why aren't you him?"_

But then the noise stopped, and the lady was smiling, but somehow that was even worse.

"Alright then darling; if you think you can handle him. He puts up such a fuss sometimes- it might be nice to have him out from under my feet all day."

"Exactly," the man said, his voice low and scary, his eyes strange. "It's settled then. Come on Carlos."

And then he was in the man's arms again, and the lady was shouting, but then a door was in the way and they were free…free…free…

When he finally dared to open his eyes again, they were just as far away as he hadn't dared to hope, the man locking a door and shutting out the noise from the people outside. The place they were in now was cool, and it felt weird not having _her_ anywhere nearby, but the man was here and Carlos wouldn't have traded that for the world.

[Where?] He signed when the man turned around; his brow furrowed in question as he shook his wrist back and forth; index finger extended.

"Safe," the man said with a breathy sigh, his hands shaking at his sides. "For now. Not off the Isle though…I'm sorry."

Carlos blinked, and the man shook his head and smiled. But Carlos was old enough now at four to know when a smile was fake. (All of _her_ smiles were.)

[Why?] Carlos signed; touching his hand to the side of his head before pulling them away; closing his fingers into a loose 'Y' shape as he furrowed his brows again.

"I should have done more to…if I had known …your mother never should have been treating you like that. I'm so-"

Carlos made a face and signed quickly; closing his index and middle finger over his thumb like a tiny mouth; shaking his head once sharply in negative. [No!]

"No what?" the man murmured, finally crossing and sitting on the floor in front of him.

[Not mother.] He didn't quite have enough words to articulate it, but he decided that those signs were plain enough; closing his hand into a fist shape and brushing his thumb along the underside of his chin; before making a 'five' handshape and tapping his thumb twice against his chin.

"Carlos," the man sighed, and he sounded sad and hurting, his eyes echoing his voice. "I know she doesn't act like it, but Cruella _is_ your mother."

[No.] He signed again, pouting fiercely as he shook his head, and the man made a laughing sound which made Carlos pout harder because it wasn't funny!

"No, ok? Well then if Cruella's not your mother, who is?"

[You.] It was a simple pointing of his index finger and a petulant glare, but his gesture made the man's eyes flicker suddenly.

[No.] The man signed slowly, his hands still shaking. [Not your mother.]

And then, he made a different sign; the same 'five' shape that Carlos had, but instead of tapping his chin with his thumb, he tapped his forehead.

[What?] Carlos signed, spreading his hands almost as if in a shrug; brow furrowed with more than just question.

[Nothing.] The man signed in place of answering; both hands making 'O' handshapes as he shook his head once dismissively.

"N-not noththing!" Carlos stumbled over the words like he usually did, but this time he was too frustrated to worry about being hit for it. "What what what does it mmmean?"

"I'm sorry," the man mumbled, his hands shaking harder as he tugged them through curls as dark as Carlos.' "I shouldn't have…Carlos, forget that sign, ok? She doesn't like that one."

Understanding dawned in the funny feeling in his stomach, and Carlos bit his lips nervously as he signed; bringing his hands in front of him with palms facing his body, he spread his fingers in a sharp gesture, bringing his hands further inwards with the movement; plastering a shocked look on his face.

[Scared.]

"Yes," the man said, his hand signing in agreement; a closed fist 'nodding up' and down like a tiny head. "Not for me…for you."

Carlos frowned at that, but he recognized that the flicker in the man's eyes really was fear, and he wasn't as unafraid for himself as he claimed.

"Whu-whu-why?" Carlos asked. Challenged, almost.

The man made a 'hmph' sort of sound, his face scrunching up tight before he answered. When he did, his voice was slow, and heavy, and Carlos found himself leaning in slightly to hear.

"Cruella…your mother- she had another baby."

[Me?] Carlos questioned, pointing to himself.

"No, not you. Before you. A long time ago."

Before him? A baby? Oh…Baby. The _other_ him.

"Cer-ran," Carlos said, hating the name, hating saying it. But he didn't know how it was spelled to sign it.

"It was a long time ago," the man said again, his eyes strange. "And Ceran's not here now, but your mother still misses him. Sometimes…sometimes she misses him so much she forgets that he's not here. Do you…do you understand?"

Carlos nodded solemnly, his own voice turning heavy as he answered. "Dead."

The man jumped slightly, and Carlos' dark expression lightened at his surprise. "How did you know that?" he gasped, and Carlos wondered briefly if he wasn't supposed to know that. But then if that were the case, why did she always….

"Ssshe wants me to b-b-b-be." He mumbled the admission shakily. "Sometimes when…when…when she forgets. She ssays it."

The man made a choked sobbing noise in his throat, his hands shaking again as he slowly combed his fingers through Carlos' hair, just avoiding the gash from she had flung her shoe at him.

"Is that what...is that what all this is?" He asked, and his voice sounded funny. Like it was barely there.

Carlos squirmed uncomfortably in place of answering, suddenly unsure. Yes, she was mean to him sometimes, and it always hurt when she was mad at him. But it wasn't bad, he didnt think. He made her mad, so she hurt him, but then he'd know not to the thing that made her mad again. That was how it worked, right?

The man didn't seem to think so, though, which just made Carlos squirm more because it made sense to him...but if it wasn't how it was supposed to work then...then...

"Never mind Carlos, you don't have to answer, it's ok." The man's voice was all choking again, his hands still gently combing through Carlos' hair. "It's ok. I'm going to get you away from her, I promise. I can't now, but I will. Soon, ok?"

[Ok] he signed, his fingers forming the letters easily. He didn't quite understand what the man meant, but his answer made him relax, and Carlos took the chance to ask what he'd wanted for a while, but was never able with the lady always present.

He signed again; bringing both hands parallel to each other in 'H' handshapes, he tapped his middle finger against the index finger of his right hand. [Name.]

"Hm?" the man hummed, not quite understanding, and Carlos would have stomped his foot except he was sitting, so he settled for repeating the sign again, a bit more insistently, before pointing at the man, just to be sure it was clear.

[Your name.]

The man's face made a lifting expression like 'oh!' before clouding over again with something like his earlier fear. But finally, slowly, he signed, his hands not shaking anymore as he finger spelled for Carlos.

A fist shape first, palm facing Carlos and pinky finger extended. [I.]

Then another fist shape, all fingers tucked in with his thumb in front. [S]

Another fist shape; fingers folded loosely over his palm, with his thumb pressed against the side. [A.]

Then he repeated that same shape. Another [A.]

And finally, a simple shape, making a 'C' with all his fingers. [C.]

"Isaac," Carlos whispered out loud, working his fingers slowly through the letters just as he had done. Then he continued, making the new sign, the forbidden one, tapping the 'five' shape against his forehead daringly.

"Yes," Isaac whispered back. "I am."

His voice shook, and Carlos started to see his eyes were shining again, dark and sad. Then he blinked, and the dark was gone, but not all of the sad.

"Come on," he said softly, standing and lifting Carlos up with him, holding him close once more. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Later, when the sky was completely dark and Carlos lay on his back on the mat next to his Isaac, he practiced making the letters of Isaac's name, along with the new sign; over and over again until he could do it fast and fluid. It made him feel secure, knowing his name. Connecting them, somehow. Cruella couldn't reach them here. Not even her words, screeched at their backs as they'd run far away, could truly affect them.

 _"Where are you taking my baby? Isaac, where is he? Where are you taking my baby?"_

Not your baby, Carlos vowed, pressing his back tightly against Isaac's and flickering his fingers through the signs one more time. Not ever. His now.

* * *

 **Mal**

It turns out that there was a lot about her group that Mal needed to be concerned about.

 _"We know about what happened to Jay."_

The letter opener hadn't been enough to change the words that had been said, and it hadn't been enough to contain the rage that boiled inside, her magic quite literally lighting her veins on fire with the force of it.

 _"We have records…"_

Which means that they'll have pried into every last one, will have turned each of them inside out and if they could find Jay…they could find….

 _"Carlos, who is Ceran?"_

And suddenly it wasn't about them anymore; was no longer the four of them; was no longer Mal keeping them all alive; was no longer about any opportunity they might have once had a chance at.

It was the choking sobs Jay was making in the back his throat, his body frozen and trembling as he tried to shield himself from something that he never should have needed shielding from.

It was the helpless look on Evie's face, the words that would never be said, that Mal could never let be said; not again not anymore she wasn't going to end up like _her_.

It was the taste of copper, the acrid stench of her own skin burning, iron chains melting into her bones, cutting into her throat against the throb of her screams, her promises to _do_ better, to _be_ better, to _earn_ her right to each and every day alive.

It was Carlos, pale and shaken to the core by the simple name that ushered itself out of Ben's mouth; his fingers snapping sharply between the various odd urges to tear out his hair, to fiddle with his dog tail, to slip between his teeth as a gag, a desperate attempt to keep this one demon at bay.

"Ceran w…is…my brother."

Jay's sobs muffle slightly; Evie's unspoken pleas settle to a distant buzz; and the chains around her neck loosen just enough for Mal to choke out:

"I didn't…you never said you had a brother."

And then they tighten again because how was she supposed to protect them when she didn't _know_?

"It's cuz I don't," Carlos whispers, his hands settling for tearing at the worn fabric of his shorts, wearing further holes, deeper wounds. "Not really. He…he died. Before I was born. I never knew him. So how…."

"Wait, he _died_?"

It's horror in Ben's voice- confusion and grief for…what? Who was Ben to claim to have any feelings for what they had lived through?

"Well he's not here in Auradon with us, is he?" Carlos snaps, and Mal can only just register the anger- there is no semblance of grief or sorrow from the younger boy- only pain and resentment.

"But…but no one is supposed to be able to die on the Isle," Ben mutters, and Mal isn't quite sure if it's her magic or just genuine shock that sparks chills down her spine.

"What did you say?"

It's Evie who dares to question it, though Mal is partially grateful because she doesn't trust that anything she would try to say wouldn't come without physical repercussions.

"The barrier is supposed to…" Ben starts, then freezes, paling as he seems to realize whatever he'd been about to say.

"Keep going," Mal prompts softly, her finger reaching on instinct to tug Carlos and Evie closer, shifting minutely closer to a still catatonic Jay.

"The barrier keeps people from dying," Ben jerkily continues. "It was…it was supposed to be part of the punishment for the villains."

And Mal knows she should be saying something, should be doing something, but all she can taste is salt and the sharp stench of copper fills her nose, and gold eyes sparkle with mischief even with the blood that flecks them with horrid spots of brown and _"You'd better not cry over me, little dragon. That would completely ruin the point"_ and-

"And yet, he died," Carlos finishes icily, but his fingers shake where they tangle with Mal's, his dark eyes shining. "And you still didn't say how you _knew_ , Ben."

Ben's shakes his head mutely, his fingers seeming to unravel themselves of their own accord. If Jay had been aware, he would have wrestled his way past Carlos to steal the paper from Ben's hand. But he wasn't, and so it's Carlos who triumphs by default, darting forward and all but yanking the slip of parchment from an unresisting Ben.

"It…it's just his name," Carlos mutters, when he'd smoothed the paper flat again. "I don't…it's just…." He trails off, something odd passing across his face before he snaps his head up again. "Who even gave you this?"

"Some official from Arandelle," Ben rasps. "I don't know him. He just pulled me aside and said that I should…ask about it. Him. Ask about him."

"No, it's about right," Carlos growls lowly. "He was nothing to me- just a nightmare that Cruella always wished was true."

"I-I'm sorry," Ben stammers shakily, blinking hard and staggering back a few steps. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…shouldn't have brought it up. Any of it. I just…."

"Oh but don't back out now, Ben," Mal croons darkly, recognizing his retreat for what it was. "Didn't you want to dig into more of our secrets and traumatic experiences?"

"That was never what this was about!" Ben cries, and it's with a start that Mal realizes he actually was. "It's not…exploiting your weaknesses or whatever you might think. I was only-"

"What do you want me to say, Ben?" She cuts him off, not wanting to even think the dreaded sentence. "What words do you want me to put together to make you feel better about this? Because _this-_ " she gestures vaguely to her group, their bodies tight against hers, heaving unshed sobs in time with her own- "This is not ok."

"I…I know," he whispers hoarsely, grey eyes dark with tears.

Mal cocks her head back, a bitter noise that was equal parts laugh and cry sticking in her throat.

"No, you don't," she says quietly, shaking her head to hide her own tears. "And that's the problem, Ben. You don't know- and you never will."

He reels away then, as though her letter opener had actually struck true, fumbling blindly for the door and practically slamming it behind him. It's only once he's gone that they let go, collapsing into each other as fresh waves of misery and grief wash over them. Mal's sick of crying, so she lets the others cry for her, threading her fingers through Evie's; brushing her lips against Carlos' curls; leaning her shoulder against Jay's and absorbing the brunt of his shaking.

"What are we going to do?" Evie whimpers, and Mal can't say anything because it's not an answer the other girl is looking for- it's comfort, and she has no place to try and provide it.

Not when there's a voice nagging inside that she's going to have to apologize to Ben, and it burns far worse than any iron chains because _that's_ what it's all about.

It was them, and what they could do to make the heroes feel better.

* * *

 **Doug**

Dinner was an interesting affair, if for the sole reason that the VKs were at their table.

All four of them.

It was a shame Ben wasn't here; he'd have been thrilled no doubt at the show of 'positive interaction.' He'd been growing steadily distant as things with the VKs had continued to escalate, and was absent from his usual seat at the head of the table, Audrey's seat standing in empty counterpoint.

As is was, it was hard for Doug to fully decide where he should focus; on his food -which felt far too guiltily extravagant now- or on Carlos, who fiddled nervously with his puzzle box, matching the colors in no particular order or awareness; just subconsciously a genius; or on Evie (granted, most of his distraction stemmed from focusing on Evie in particular), who sat anxiously between Mal and Jay, all but one breath away from fleeing the table. He was definitely aware of Mal; he couldn't _not_ be, not with the way her fingers snapped sparks under the table, her eyes as unnaturally green as the flashes of half-fire, examining each of their faces as if waiting for a reason to spark a bigger blaze.

"Ok, so I have a question."

And of course, he couldn't forget Jay. He didn't know where they stood now; certainly the other boy didn't mean anything to him, not in anything outside the sense of his now irremovable presence in Auradon. Doug didn't have anything against the VKs, not really. They were just…hard to figure out. Well- people in general were hard to figure out, but they more or less all had the same core patterns. The VKs though…they didn't have any of those patterns, and the ones they did have….

"I, potentially, have an answer."

It had become almost a game now, though Doug could only guess as to when it had started. A VK would ask a question, and one of them would try to answer (and try not to be too horrified at what the questions implied; at those patterns the VKs had learned). It was mostly Jay asking the questions, and mostly Nikhil and Aziz who answered. Doug didn't want to think about what that meant, but he was far from 'dopey' and he'd overheard enough to know at least one pattern.

"So what happens when you get tired of each other?" Jay asks it through a mouthful of crust, a stray veggie from the pot pie spilling from his lips onto his tray. "Like, do you just go off and manipulate other people into liking you or is sort of being on standby if there's no other options?"

Aziz blinks, his mouth open and his cautious smirk falling from the edges of his mouth. Nikhil, for his part, just looks sad, if not equally stunned.

"Ok…well. First off, there's no manipulating involved," he says, quite tactfully, if Doug's being honest. He's impressed, certain he wouldn't have managed to be half that calm or discreet if it were him. "It's just a relationship, as boring as that might seem."

"Uh…excuse me?"

"Not you specifically, love," Nikhil scolds easily, and Aziz preens just a tad, while a brief, uncomfortable ripple passes through the VKs before subsiding.

"I should hope you don't find me boring," Aziz drags out just because he can. Or rather, Doug realizes as Jay squirms slightly in his chair, to push the boundaries of what he can. "I mean it's only been what? A few years?"

"So like…you're actually…something?" Jay mumbles slowly, crunching his way through the crust and shoving his spoon through the broth.

"A defined something," Aziz confirms, if just as slowly. "Not getting rid of each other that easy."

"Yeah but like…when you _do_ eventually get rid of each other, or like…want to find a girl or something…I don't know….what…what then?"

"Ooooooh," Aziz gasps obnoxiously, grinning much more easily as he settles back in his chair. "Oh is _that_ really what you were confused about? That…that's adorable to be honest."

"Shut up Aziz," Nikhil deadpans instantly, elbowing the boy sharply and causing his chair to stumble underneath him. "What he means is, we don't really have to worry about any girls coming along because we're -or at least I am- pretty exclusively attracted to guys. And outside of that, exclusively attracted to each other."

"Awww!"

"Lonnie I swear-"

"Babe that was so sweet!"

"I hate both of you right now."

"Really, because it sounded like you were going to say you lo-"

"I still can't believe that's allowed here."

Mal's barely disguised disdain cuts across their antics, and Jane looks up sharply from her pie, worry and concern flitting across her features.

"Um…."

"Mal!" Carlos glares, and Evie flits that much closer to the edge of her chair but remains silent.

"Dare I ask…?" Aziz begins testily, but Mal's already daring to continue.

"This… _you_ …." she shakes her head, and Doug starts as he sees that while it might be disdain in her voice, it's forced. Because her eyes are bright with more than just fire, and it's grief and regret if anything that twist her features before being hidden beneath a curtain of purple hair.

"It's a good thing," Carlos argues sharply. " _They_ are a good thing." His eyes glancing over to where Aziz and Nikhil had joined hands under the table as if to say 'right?'

The corner of Aziz's mouth lifts in a brief smile, and even Nikhil manages a grin before returning to his previous sobriety.

"A very good thing," he confirms. "If I do say so myself."

"You are," Mal snaps, her fork stabbing brutally through the crust of her own pie, vegetables and broth spilling out like gore. "'Relationships' like that are dangerous on the Isle."

"Is that because of people like you who apparently think that it's not acceptable, or a different kind of danger?"

Chad pipes up for the first time, though Doug honestly wishes he'd have kept his sullen silence.

"Both," Mal answers just as bluntly, her eyes flashing a dangerous shade of green as she glares across the table at him. "But mostly the latter. _People_ like that are dangerous, never mind any supposed 'love.'"

"Yeah?" Chad challenges, his lips curling viciously. "In what way exactly?"

"Chad," Doug mutters lowly. "You're pushing." He frowns his disapproval over the rim of his glasses, but that's as far as he'll go. He doesn't want to be the one to point out the way Mal's voice broke over the word 'love.'

"Well somebody fucking has to!" the other boy bursts out, crossing his arms sharply in an awkward gesture, as if he'd wanted to fling them outwards but decided against it at the last second. "Everybody else is just sitting back and letting them walk all over us- it's not like they'll shatter if we say something 'wrong.'"

"That's so funny," Mal says, her mouth smiling but her eyes cold. "I would have thought you of all people would be more _empathetic_. I mean…how  is Cinderella doing these days?"

Chad's rapid paling and sharp intake of breath is interrupted by Lonnie's incredulous: "Oho _shit!_ " and another, equally sudden intake of breath that echoes across the table and makes Mal go instantly pale.

When Doug finally sorts through it enough to actually look over, he has to stop and sort through again because he can't quite interpret what's happening.

Jay is choking.

Or, he's trying to choke. His body shakes with silent coughs, his mouth clenched shut and mercifully preventing any of the broth from spraying out. Because it's definitely the broth that he's choking on, Doug notes; his spoon half full where it dripped, abandoned on the tray.

"Jay, just spit it out!" Carlos yelps, his own tray clattering as it's shoved aside by his elbow when he turns to face the older boy.

"Jay…" Mal starts slowly, like she was diffusing a bomb instead of aiding a…friend?

Just what were the VKs to each other? It's something Doug resorts to puzzling over later because Jay was definitely going to explode if he didn't get a breath soon. And Evie…Evie had apparently finally taken flight as she was nowhere to be seen (and he'd clearly not been as attuned to her as he'd thought.)

"Jay," Mal says again, drawing him back into the current dilemma (though he'd argue that Evie's absence was also a dilemma of itself) "It's soup. It's ok to spit it out."

Jay says nothing, but the look he shoots her seems to convey enough, and it's then that Doug realizes that Jay is not, in fact, choking. He's _shaking_ , his mouth working like he wants to spit the broth out, but physically can not for some reason. It's solidified when Jay signs; both hands in index finger shapes, he brings his right hand down sharply onto the left; whacking the fingernail of left hand.

[Can't.]

Carlos exchanges a confused, if slightly panicked look with Mal at that, though Mal for her part, only looks weary and resigned, like Jay's behavior was nothing new. Maybe it wasn't, but it was definitely just adding to the list of the various strange and disturbing occurrences that had taken place since the VKs had arrived.

"You can," she tells him firmly, if not with a slight sigh. "It might be a bit rude for Auradon, but you _can_ spit it out, Jay."

There was something going on here, Doug finally realizes. He isn't sure if it's the utter panic on Jay's face, or the way Mal seemed to reinforce the idea that Jay spit out the broth instead of the far more obvious solution. That she emphasized that it was soup, specifically….

"I can't be the only one who think this is weird, right?" Chad mutters, though there's something cautious in his tone now. "I mean, why doesn't he just sw-"

"Finish that sentence and I will slaughter you right now, I don't care if it gets me sent back to the Isle."

Mal's voice is so ruthless as she cuts across him, and so completely genuine that it's not just Chad who flinches. There's a heavy beat of horrifying silence where the only sound is ragged breathing, punctuated by Carlos' whispering to Jay. Chad doesn't take his eyes off of Mal's, though Doug honestly can't blame him. He's certain no one is breathing right now with the way the sparks Mal had been snapping suddenly ignite, and though the blaze is small, it's still a _blaze_ and very much a threat.

"Ok so…I'm going to regret this I know I am…but…I have a question."

"I have an answer. You don't want the answer."

And Doug is kind of glad that Ben's not there because he's sure the other boy would be less than thrilled at the distinct lack of positive interaction going on.

* * *

 **Evie**

Somehow, the Cricket wasn't at all as nightmarish as she'd been expecting him to be.

"I know this probably feels awkward for you, so I'll just sit here and give you a second- do what I can to make it easier."

He's worse.

"We've already been introduced but I'll do it again just to be polite, you know…so it's coming from me directly; I'm Jeremiah, but you can call me Jiminy if it's easier."

He doesn't yell. Doesn't raise his voice. Doesn't make a single move from the soft looking chair he's sitting in -it's not all that different from the couch she sat on now. And yet he's so much worse for all those things because he doesn't threaten or leer or even hint at anything sinister. No, the Cricket is entirely unassuming and almost gentle, but that does nothing to soothe Evie's anxiety.

He talks.

"I think I'll stick with Cricket," she blurts without truly meaning to, her voice at least, as cold as she had wanted it to be. Distant. Safety in that distance, don't you forget that.

"If that's easier for you," he says lightly, and Evie sets her jaw and tries not to scream. "Now, since this is the first time we're meeting like this I just wanted to know if there was anything you thought I should know about you? Any interests, or hobbies?"

"Is there anything you think I should know about _you?_ " She counters, ignoring the part of her that wanted to mention her sewing.

"True, you don't really know that much about me so I guess it's only fair you'd be curious."

"Cautious."

He pauses, and she stiffens on instinct, waiting for his feet to cross to her; waiting for the blow for daring to interrupt- to correct or contradict.

"Well, my favorite color is red," he says, and a small part of Evie chuckles ruefully.

(So it Carlos,' that part whispers. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of that when you corner him.)

"I've lived in Auradon my whole life…well, I lived in a tiny town that later became a bigger town when Auradon became a thing. Uh, and I've been following in my Uncle's steps for about fifteen years now- give or take."

He doesn't look that old, Evie muses idly, eyeing him subtly through her lashes. Not to mention of course, that fifteen years is a long time to be a 'conscience' or whatever he claimed to be these days- and of course, this was Auradon, so why would he even be needed in the first place? What was the goal here?

"And what about you?" Cricket asks, starting her out of her scrutiny. "I take it your favorite color must be blue, given-" he nods pointedly towards her blue stained curls, though he does it with a smile and not a sneer.

She blushes in spite of herself and self-consciously combs her fingers through the strands hanging over her shoulder. She would have to braid it again, it wouldn't do to have it hanging freely like that. Too easy to tangle or fray. Too easy to grab. Still, it was nice that he noticed, that he didn't think it garish or make her look too much like a wanton whore, as her mother had screeched when Evie'd first come home, red faced and ecstatic; pleased and proud to display the color, the blue dye burgeoning proof that she wasn't useless, wasn't just another whore. Not when the blue spark of magic was woven into her hair, the added dye only enhancing what was already there.

"What else should I know about you?" Cricket presses, leaning forward and she glares sharply as she notices the pad of paper in his hand.

"What are you digging for?" She snaps, grimacing inwardly at her audacity but reveling in it because she _could._ "What do you _want_? More grisly stories about how terrible life on the Isle was? So you can scramble and coo and try to put everything together to look pretty; like you _haven't_ been the root cause of it all in the first place?"

It's something Mal would do, she thinks with a small hint of pride as he blinks at her silently. Call him out on his unspoken words, grab him tight and not let go until he gave in. And normally she'd be wary of things like that, preferring to lay careful traps or spill honeyed words to figure out what he wanted; but she doesn't know how to do that here, doesn't know how to combat him or see through him because he talked too and _she doesn't know what he wants_!

"What do you want?" she whispers, all too aware of the way her words fill the space, the way her body cringes inwards. The submission itches something raw and painful inside because the last time she'd submitted like this it had been to _Mal_ , and it was the other girl's fault that she was in this position to begin with and the anger wells up hot and cold at once but it's _submission_ that she stays in because right that's what's safe.

"I want to know how you're doing," Cricket says, and his voice is equally soft, no trace of dominance or scorn. She's starting to wonder if he's even capable of it. "I know it's been a confusing and hectic week since the meeting, and we're all still getting this sorted. I'm just here to make sure the four of you are doing ok, and to help you get there, if you're feeling that you're not."

"The help is what we're not ok with," she mutters, and she sounds almost spiteful now. "We can take care of each other. You'll only get in the way."

Out in the hallway, the bell rings, and twenty minutes had never seemed so long, and Evie had never thought she'd be more excited to go to class.

"My job isn't to get in the way-" (And it of course it was only fitting that she'd forget and let him have the final word, give him the final control. She was building up a streak- submit a few more times and she'd get a prize.) "And I'm not denying that you can take care of each other, in fact I find it admirable how deeply you do. But sometimes a little help can be nice, I think."

"You think," she agrees from the doorway.

And it would be considered a victory except she'd somehow conceded once again, and it's the first time she's wished to be back on the Isle but she's wishing anyway because at least there she knows what she is. At least on the Isle she didn't have to be weak.

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

According to all the myths and legends, iron was supposed to repel faeries. Disrupted their magic, made it harder to reach infant children. What they didn't mention, or rather, what Mal hadn't known but was finding out, it _burned._ Granted, the spoon that was currently searing the back of her hand was technically only 98% iron, but Mal figured she was probably only 98% faerie, and that it evened out. She didn't dare scream, though if her breath stuttered a bit in her throat when she inhaled, who could blame her?

"You're a terrible liar, you know that, Mal."

Apparently, her mother could.

"What makes you think I'm lying about anything?" Mal found it in her to ask, somehow managing to maintain a somewhat coy tone despite the position she was in. She'd learned the trick from Evie; the other girl saying that it was all a matter of aligning your voice with your face- if you wore a calm face, have a calm voice. It was pretty neat to see her do it, fooling everyone as to what she was actually feeling.

"You're hiding the Jafar boy," her mother spat, and neat tricks were doing nothing to help her here as the steel shifted to her neck, prying a hoarse gasp from her lips.

"Y-you mean Jay?" Mal forced out, if only to cover the way her hands trembled where they gripped the sides of her chair.

"Why do you insist on being so stubborn?" Maleficent sighed, and Mal grit her teeth to try and steel herself before answering, but she still choked on her words halfway through.

"I'm gath-gathering allies," she managed somewhat steadily, gritting her teeth against the whimper in her throat.

"Allies?!" Maleficent shrieked, and Mal couldn't tell if it was amusement or rage that colored her mother's tone, only that the steel had been lifted and she could breathe again. "With Jafar's _bastard_?! He's no better than the Evil Queen's little _whore_ now- and here I am thinking you were smarter than this."

Mal jerks sharply in protest at this because while she may not yet know just how she felt about Evie, to hear her mother disgrace Jay like that rankles inside because Jay was hers and she didn't know. That he was finally getting better- or at least, as better as the Isle would allow- that he didn't scream anymore at night or jerk away from her every touch. That he'd finally gone back to Jafar (and Evie had found him half dead a few days later, back torn open and skin blazing with fever for his efforts. He'd been staying in the hide out since then, only returning to his 'father' when he had goods to stock the shelves with). Jay was hers, officially now, and while Mal couldn't do anything to keep Maleficent from hating him, she wasn't about to stay silent while she talked about him as if he weren't worth anything.

Unfortunately, Maleficent caught her stifled reaction, and Mal found herself sprawled on the floor, cringing away from the blows aimed at her midsection. She only caught a few words of her mother's rant ( _worthless, an embarrassment, if I'd known this was what you'd become I'd have let you drown when I had the chance_ ) - which brings back a horrific flash that she doesn't want to focus on but there's the weight of water in her lungs and her mother sneering above her and she wasn't quite sure which was real anymore but there's pain…pain…pain.

When she could finally focus again she was somehow not as alarmed as she knew she should have been at the sight of her own blood staining the floor. Just resigned with the knowledge that she would have to clean it up, and at least grateful that nothing _felt_ broken. She still flinched when her mother spoke, however, and earned another blow across her face that had her head spinning.

"Pathetic," her mother spat, her voice cold and unforgiving. "How could you have stooped so low?"

And Mal didn't know if she was talking to herself or not, but she somehow found it in herself to dare an answer anyway.

"Stepping stones," she choked out, copper sharp on her tongue, salt stinging in the corners of her eyes.

"No, my little Mal," Maleficent crooned softly, and Mal froze because there was nothing comforting in that croon. "No, a stepping stone should be _useful_ , should hold _weight_. If it doesn't, well…"

Fear cut off her breath as something cold and heavy pressed into the back of her neck, the sudden and intense knowledge that she was about to die sinking its way to the pit of her stomach.

"Then you let it crumble, and go and find another stone."

* * *

Even after her mother had finally gone, it still took Mal an hour to move from that spot on the floor. She half expected to hear the roar of her fury as she forced herself to her knees, but the only sound was the creak of the boards beneath her. That…and the unmistakable sound of the gargoyles groaning a warning from the arches further below. Which meant that Jay was here.

She winced sharply at the pain lancing through her body, but forced herself to remain upright- to bear the pain that she so rightly deserved. After all, her mother was right; what kind of ruler of the Isle would she be if she tolerated such weakness? Her mother certainly didn't: it was what she was doing right now. The Isle had been suffering a food problem (but really, when was there not a food problem?) as the barges were gradually bringing less and less food, the best of which was immediately stolen by the pirates, while whatever remained was left to filter to the rest of the Isle as the Isle saw fit.

So Maleficent was off to solve the problem by doing what she did best- torching the outlying villages. There was no room for pity or doubt as to if it was 'the right thing.' It was the only thing that would be accepted, and the only thing that Mal could accept.

Which was why, when she finally does make her way down the basement, stealthily avoiding the chains on the walls, the sight of the boy cowering behind Jay fills her with nothing but fear.

"He's not the new kid," she was quick to emphasize.

He can't be the new kid. Because Evie was bad enough, the other girl's presence alone stirring up all the animosity Mal held towards her mother but never dared unleash. Because Cruella's whelp was _cowering_ his eyes all big and fearful and the sight of him alone drew out the small part of Mal that wanted to care. And she couldn't risk bringing someone like that into the group; not when she has Jay. Not with Evie to worry about. She couldn't afford having someone to care about, to care _for_. Not when her life depended on it.

* * *

 **Audrey**

Her worst fear was coming true.

"H-hey! It's um…Aubrey, right?"

"Audrey, actually."

"Oh sorry, yeah…Audrey. Ben's-"

"Sleeping Beauty's daughter," she blurts before she can think it through. "And you're Maleficent's daughter."

She feels the need to be vindictive, for some reason. To take control of the damage in whatever way she could. No, not even that. What was the word?

"You know, I so don't blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents or anything."

Scapegoat, right. That was the word. The other girl blinks, and Audrey wishes she could take back the words, take back the entire moment, just walk away and start again. Or better yet, just walk away. She almost thinks she's completely stunned the girl, but then she watches green eyes flash and narrow, and a chill goes down her spine.

"I'm just Mal, actually," she says, and Audrey's breath catches in her throat, unable to form the whimper it wants to be. "And you know, I _totally_ don't blame your grandparents for inviting everyone. In the whole world. Except for my mother. To their stupid christening."

Something ugly curls in Audrey's gut at the words, and she wonders briefly if it had always been there, or if it was just this girl's presence bringing it out.

"As if they would have let a dark faery attend an honored and sacred event!" she scoffs sharply, and something dark and feral crosses Mal's face for a moment.

"Honored and sacred, huh?" she mutters, and though she lifts a brow, it does nothing to lift her expression, or lift the dread from Audrey's stomach. "You know, dark or not, my mother is still a Fae, and it's just polite, if nothing else, to include such an honored and sacred being in special events. Might just have had a blessing to give- or at least not a horrific curse."

"But who's really keeping track, right?" Audrey simpered, grimacing more than smiling, certain the other girl could tell that she was being fake, would strike her down right there for daring to be so insulting.

"Right?" Mal hums right back, her eyes sharp despite the way they crinkle upwards. "Static in the barrier."

The fake laugh that bubbles in her chest stops abruptly at the strange idiom, and she finds herself cocking her head, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I…what?"

"What?" Mal repeats, blinking, and just like that all the hostility is gone from her body, her expression no longer feral.

"That thing you said?" Audrey says, frowning. It occurs to her just how quickly the situation had changed, but she doesn't have space to dwell on it with her confusion.

"Static in the barrier," Mal repeats, both brows raised skeptically. Then she laughs, and it's a genuine sound that might be almost nice if Audrey forgot who she was referring to. "Oh I've never gotten to do this before! Aziz is always the one teasing us for not knowing words the little f-shit."

Audrey starts, and Mal makes a face, shifting her bag up on her shoulder awkwardly.

"Can't say that," she mutters, almost apologetically, before her smirk comes back and her eyes twinkle darkly. "But still, this _is_ fun. Static in the barrier's something _we_ say on the Isle to mean it's whatever. Like, it's there and it's a situation, but it's not worth being concerned about anymore."

"Oh, you mean water under the bridge," Audrey drawls as she makes the connection, and Mal nods, shrugging a shoulder.

"Sure," she says sportingly. "If we had water or bridges, anyway."

Audrey winces, unable to hide it, and Mal bites her lip, eyes darting away self-consciously.

"I didn't mean-"Audrey begins, but Mal growls softly in frustration and she trails off immediately.

"It's fine," she says quickly. "You don't have to apologize. If anything, I'm the one who..." She stops, lips pressing thin in a line as her eyes draw closed as if pained. "This is what she meant…this is what she always meant...always so quick to...fucking hell..."

"What?" Audrey questions despite feeling like she shouldn't. Mal's eyes flutter open instantly, flickering with something like vulnerability for all of one second before they sharpen and narrow.

"Nothing," she snaps, all brusque again. "What are you still doing here? What do you want?"

It occurs to Audrey then that it's slowly approaching curfew, and they've somehow managed to intersect right at the staircase leading to the dorms. It wouldn't be entirely amiss if she took her chance and fled now, and yet instead she finds herself taking the chance to really take in the girl before her. And she's surprised by what she sees because she sees…a girl. And while the knowledge of the horror and power that this girl possesses still rings clearly in her mind; knows exactly who this girl is a product of…it's hard for Audrey to see _Maleficent_ in that moment. It's really just…Mal.

"I...I'm sorry."

Mal blinks, then shifts her weight to the side. "For?" she drawls, and Audrey worries at her lip before plunging ahead.

"I misjudged you. All of you, really, ever since you first got here. I kept thinking I'd see your parents' shadows and was just waiting for whatever evil you chose to inflict on us for keeping you locked away for so long."

Mal lifts a brow, but says nothing, and Audrey takes it as a good enough sign to continue.

"But I was wrong- you're not them." It takes her a second to really let it sink in, and she finds that the hesitant smile she gives is actually genuine as she acknowledges what she should have long ago. "You're not Maleficent."

Mal makes a sharp noise in her throat, and Audrey's caught off guard by the bitterness sparking darkly in her eyes as her lips curl hatefully. "Yeah, no. I'm not, thanks…thanks for that. As if _she_ didn't remind me of that fifty times a day; less if she decided to save her breath and just beat me instead."

So casual is she in her bitterness, in her loathing, that it takes Audrey a moment to realize just what she'd said. But then she _does_ realize, and her intake of breath comes as a sharp hiss between her teeth.

"What?" she whispers, hardly daring to believe….

If anything, her shock only further aggravates Mal, revulsion in the tight stiffening of her shoulders as her weight shifts backwards sharply.

"Oh fuck you, don't you do that! Don't you fucking _dare_."

Audrey gapes, speechless, and Mal grimaces fiercely, distorting her expression further.

"Don't sit there and act like it's some 'thing.' Not you." That vulnerability creeps back in for a moment, and Audrey feels her stomach sink at the way Mal emphasized her specifically, wondering- and hating the wondering- what sort of vendetta seemed to be on the other girl's mind that she didn't know about. (But of course, deep down she _knows_ and it tears at her all the more that she's somehow played a part, however small, in the other girl's suffering.)

"I'm sorry," she whispers again, the words like ash on her tongue for all the good they do now.

"Shut up," Mal snaps immediately, wry and unaffected once again. "It doesn't mean anything. Doesn't change…it's nothing. Really. Just forget it. "

Audrey thinks that the explicit act of an adult (specifically a parent) beating a child (specifically their child) is far from nothing, but she recognizes Mal's attempt to change the subject; registers that while the word was 'really,' she'd meant 'please.'

"It's just…static in the barrier?" She tries, hating herself for the trying but vowing to do something about it when she could.

Mal snorts, and her mouth flickers upwards with genuine amusement. "No don't say that. You're not edgy enough to say that."

"I have edges," Audrey protests dutifully, letting herself get swept further along.

"Yeah, sure you do," Mal mutters, rolling her eyes, but there's definitely something softer about her as well. Less foreboding. "Aziz'll get a kick out of it though. I can't wait to see his face; he's not the only one who knows words."

"Well I'm glad at least at how quickly you've finally gotten past the hostility phase," Audrey murmurs, shifting to cross her arms casually. "But maybe I shouldn't be so surprised…."

"What?" Mal hums, and it's just as casual, but Audrey recognizes the alertness in her eyes.

"Nothing," she says quickly, understanding the need to tread carefully. "I just…remembered thinking it was funny how against it even you VKs were."

Crap.

"Why, cuz we're supposed to be a bunch of villains and miscreants with deviant behaviors and sexualities?"

Don't you answer that.

"Uh…huh well…" Audrey fumbles, but then she notices the smirk playing at the corner of Mal's mouth, and sighs her relief in a nervous chuckle. "Well, yes," she continues, playing along with an easier tease. "Of course. But also-"

She stops abruptly because it occurs to her that while Mal might be amused now at her train of thought, there's an underlying edge of warning that reminds her that things still weren't as clear cut as she thought they were.

"Also?" Mal repeats, cocking her head, but it's not offense or anger furrowing her brow. If anything, it's introspection, as if trying to analyze Audrey's train of thought and match it with potential signals she might have given off.

"Nothing, never mind," she blusters quickly, and Mal's eyes flicker over but don't quite lose their thoughtful gaze. "Just…more misjudging, I guess."

She didn't _quite_ think so; she'd seen the looks after al, but better to be safe than sorry. Or set ablaze.

"Yeah," Mal murmurs back. "Here too, I think."

And before Audrey gets a chance to question just what that meant, Mal turns and dashes up the stairs. Audrey starts, stunned at the sudden and abrupt display of rudeness, but just before she reaches the crest, Mal stops and turns back.

"Well are you coming or what?"

"Or what," Audrey mutters, not quite to be cheeky but because she didn't know what was happening here.

"Meeting the other ones that you misjudged," Mal states, as if it's obvious, and continues up and into the dorms beyond.

"Duh," Audrey says to open air, one hand dazedly reaching for the railing. "Silly me, what else would I be doing?"

* * *

 **Jay**

"Ah! Ow stop! Jay, get off!" Carlos yelps from the floor beneath him.

"Not until you give it!" Jay growls back, twisting Carlos' arm further and making a grab for the fabric tangled in the other boy's hand.

"You got everything else, why do you want…wh-whatever this thing is?" Carlos whimpers, resolutely refusing to yield.

"Because _you_ want it!" Jay states obviously, just barely dodging the kick aimed at his chest.

"No!" Carlos protests, baring his teeth and kicking out again.

Jay laughs and ducks his shoulder under the flailing limb, reaching through Carlos' guard and wrestling his way further upwards. Carlos kicks again and yelps when Jay shoves his shoulder to the left, causing his leg to twist sideways painfully. His fingers slip where they grip the soft fabric, and Jay takes the opening, steadying himself with a knee on Carlos' chest and grabbing for it with the provided leverage.

"Ow!" Carlos cries again, but his eyes flash darkly when Jay gets his hands on the thing (it's soft, and red like he'd never seen before). "Stop, no! Give it ba-ba-back!"

His stutter rarely slipped out thanks to Evie's potion, but apparently, there was a time limit. Jay had pretended not to notice when the other boy had tumbled haphazardly into their shared room; out of breath and terrified at finding out the potion was already losing its effect. He'd simply let Carlos with the space to freak out as he saw fit, and was careful to be just a little more gentle when dealing with the other boy.

There was none of that gentleness now, however. Not when he was this close to getting the soft thing out of Carlos' hands. Jay wasn't holding back, but neither was Carlos, the smaller boy somehow just managing to keep his defense in place of attacking Jay in return. It felt _good_ , wrestling like this. Not good like Auradon good, but…there was a part of Jay relished the physicality of the conflict; of no restraints or inhibitions. Of being able to fight back.

He flinches away from that train of thought but it's there nonetheless, crawling under skin that doesn't belong to him anymore. That other part of him that craves touch but doesn't dare to act on it because it'll just be turned against him. The part that acknowledges his need to remain on top; that says that at least he's dominating and being aggressive like he always should have been. That he's in control of the pain that he receives (none, though, because it's his job to inflict pain, not succumb to it).

"Ow ow ow! Jay, let go!"

There's a soft, rhythmic thumping against his ribs, and he realizes that he'd somehow gotten Carlos' head locked between his arms; the pounding being Carlos trying to punch his way free again. It wouldn't have been a problem except Jay was almost certain Carlos couldn't breathe, and he jerks sharply, unlocking his muscles and scrambling back instantly.

It takes a few seconds for the buzzing in his ears to subside (but not the guilt what the fuck what was that did you really almost do that?)

"Dude," Carlos pants, red faced but not as traumatized as Jay had feared. "Not. Cool."

"Sorry," he mutters awkwardly, eyes snapping to the now unguarded scrap of red on the floor. _Grab it grab it grab it grab it!_

"Guys," Evie says suddenly, and Jay tenses at her tone; strangely subdued and formal. "We have an audience."

As if on cue, Carlos snaps a final sharp kick at Evie's words, and Jay doesn't have the space to blink let alone dodge. The kick catches just under his ribs and suddenly he's on his back and he can't catch his breath and _he's on his back..._

And the panic sets in because he's aware of his triggers now and he doesn't want to do this he doesn't want to do this again he doesn't want to _know_!

"We were ju-just cleaning up."

Carlos. Right. Auradon, yeah. And company?

Jay blinks and lifts his chin to peer upwards, and in the doorway he can just make out the familiar purple outline of Mal, and beside her...

He's on his feet in an instant, blinking away the dizzying rush of blood to his feet and twisting his lips into a smirk because instincts were saying _'pretty girl!'_ and protocol dictated that he flirt with her.

"Hel-loo foxy," Jay rumbles as smoothly as he can with the hands teasing at the back of his neck. "The name's Jay."

Pretty girl (not as pretty as Lonnie, though) blinks, entirely stunned, and Mal rolls her eyes and into the room, nudging her way pointedly past his shoulder to pick Carlos up off the floor.

"I apologize for...him," she says over her shoulder to Pretty Girl, who's still just standing in the doorway.

"Um..."

"You can come in," Mal continues, only vague sarcasm in her tone as she flings herself down to sit on the edge of Jay's bed. "We don't bite. Well, not all of us."

Carlos growls and flips Mal off, but she only laughs boldly in his face, and Jay is certain he's not the only one that notices how she'd completely avoided Evie. The other girl purses her lips slightly but doesn't protest Mal's ignoring of her, simply sliding down on the bed and leaving an only slightly obvious gap.

"Should I...should I sit?" Pretty Girls asks warily, and Jay jumps, not having noticed her come in, let alone pull out the chair she was referring to.

"If you want to," Mal says with a shrug, but her eyes are dark and calculating, so Jay crosses his arms to subtly back her up.

The girl sits, and Mal's eyes lose some of their darkness.

"Cool, ok. Guys this is Audrey. Audrey, this is everyone else."

"Hi," Audrey offers meekly, waving a hand before clasping it tightly in her other hand and fidgeting nervously in her chair.

"Hi…I'm Carlos," Carlos broaches first, surprisingly, though he's just as subdued just as unsure.

"Evie."

"Sup," Jay says, lifting his chin and winking at Audrey, pleased when she flushes and looks away.

"Audrey is Ben's girlfriend," Mal enunciates slowly, glaring at him with bright green eyes, but Jay just shrugs.

"For now."

Audrey hisses sharply, and genuine offense and hurt darkens her already rich brown eyes before disappearing with anger.

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Way to go, Jay," Evie scowls, and Jay narrows his eyes at her but that doesn't quite hide his slight chagrin.

"No, it's not," Mal sighs impatiently; or at least, the part that is impatient is directed at him and not Audrey. "Just Jay being an asshole."

"Flirting!" he corrects, feigning hurt as he spreads his hands innocently.

"Same thing."

"I take it that's not a misjudgment then?" Audrey says stiffly, and Mal's lips twitch with a barely concealed laugh.

"Oh shit, you do have edges!" she snorts, and Audrey smiles, but it almost looks like a wince, and Jay is bored with yet another conversation at his expense.

"Ok so what's she doing here?" he snaps bluntly, and Mal's eyes flash warning, her lips curling dangerously at the corners.

"Well I'm here to…apologize, I guess," Audrey answers in her stead, eyes low as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I misjudged you guys pretty harshly when you first arrived, and I'm starting to realize that I was wrong."

"And I thought it'd be a good idea for her to meet everyone in person, so we could maybe prove all our first impressions wrong," Mal continues slowly, and out of the corner of his eyes, he can see Evie straighten, her eyes sharp and excited, and he understands suddenly. She was here to give them an 'in.'

"Right," Audrey says, much more relaxed in her smile, and Jay almost feels sorry for her; that she hadn't caught on to the intent in Mal's voice. "So I guess, um…what are some things you guys think I should know about…the real you?"

Evie bristles sharply, and Jay frowns at her questioningly. She shakes her head and sets her jaw, so he drops it. He knew better than to try and pry; if Evie didn't want to talk, she wasn't going to and that was that.

"First things first, though," Mal says, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she clasps her hands together. "Sleeping Beauty's daughter." She nods her head in Audrey's direction, and the other girl sinks slightly, something almost like betrayal crossing her face before disappearing instantly behind an unaffected expression. The shift is so easy that Jay just about misses it.

"Ooh, you can do faces too?" Carlos gasps eagerly, leaning forward with nothing but openness and sincerity on his face.

Jay wants to laugh, because he can see that while Carlos' eyes are bright and his brows lifted to convey the youth and happiness; his jaw was locked, his smile fake.

"I do…faces?" Audrey asks, mystified, and Jay takes the chance to stroll over and lean on the wall to her left.

"Yeah, yeah," he continues, and Jay's glad she's got her eyes on Carlos because he can't stifle his laugh this time, though he turns it into a cough expertly. "Like masks and stuff. No one knows what you're thinking."

"I-" Audrey stammers, and Jay shares a look with Mal over her shoulder. Got her. "I guess I just didn't realize I was doing it."

"Force of habit?" Evie probes softly, and Jay doesn't need to look to know she's doing that 'understanding' face; the one that hides the sneer in her eyes.

"Yeah, I uh…guess you could say we've got some experience with that," Mal mumbles, tilting her chin to drop her eyes self-consciously. "It's just funny that a princess from Auradon of all places would feel the need to do something like that."

"Yeah well," Audrey says, her own eyes also downcast, something bitter and pained twisting her lips. "I guess we've all misjudged how Auradon's supposed to be, huh?"

Even Jay knew there was something in that sentence, but he lets Mal take the lead on it, slipping further to the left, so he was almost behind Audrey without being obvious. Disappointment meets him, however, when he sees that she didn't have a bag or anything with her, no obvious wrinkles in the sleek looking outfit she wore belying where a hidden item of value might be.

He grimaces his negative to Mal, who twitches her jaw in acknowledgement, and then he lets the grimace turn more pitiful, shuffling his feet as he makes his way back into Audrey's line of vision.

"Yeah, I guess so," he croaks out. "Still, it's better than anything we had before."

Audrey's eyes flicker further before lifting in forced cheer. She wasn't as good at masks as they were, certainly; even he could still see the sorrow in the lines of her eyes. But it wasn't bad for those who weren't looking…like the rest of Auradon.

"I'm glad for that, at least," she manages, before letting the cheer drip away again. Like she'd known it wasn't working? "Still, I just wish…it could be better…for you guys."

"Ben said the same thing," Mal says, and her voice carries some of the same sharpness as her eyes.

"Did he?" Audrey asks, and Jay had misjudged her ability because he couldn't begin to interpret the sudden expression on her face. Closed off was as close as he could describe, but even that didn't seem accurate because there was definitely a feeling there. He just didn't know it.

"Yeah, he was here earlier," Mal continues, nonchalant but there's an edge of vindictive underneath. "Apologizing for some ghosts he dredged up without realizing."

"He has that uncanny habit, yeah," Audrey mutters, and her expression -and her voice- cracks minutely.

"But you seem to have…what is it? A good head on your shoulders?" Mal says, and Jay slowly wanders back towards the bed, letting the atmosphere shift and relax. "I mean, you came here, right? Met us all?"

"Yeah," Audrey replies slowly, but with a much more genuine cheer, rising from her chair with certainty.

"Yeah, I think you'll be just fine," Mal murmurs, and it's good that Audrey turns for the door when she does, just missing the dark gleam of green in Mal's eyes.

"And you guys will be too," Audrey says, in true Auradon form, before grinning in such a way it drown out whatever is in her own eyes. "I'm glad I was able to meet you all."

"Yeah, us too!" Carlos calls cheerfully, waving again from the bed. His mood sours the second the door is closed (and locked) on Audrey, glaring at Mal. "Why am I always the-the little kid?" he complains.

"Because you are a little kid," Mal quips easily, ignoring the silent snarl he shoots her and turning to Jay.

"Anything?"

"Nope," he reports briskly, folding his arms. "She's tougher than she looks, I think."

"Yeah, for sure," Mal mutters, but it's already being dismissed, he knows. "E, tell me I'm right and she cracked."

"Oh she cracked," Evie crows darkly, her eyes as bright and vicious as her smile. "Right about…"

"When I mentioned Ben?" Mal finishes eagerly, her own smirk all cruelty and no mirth. "Ha ha, trouble in paradise."

"How much trouble?" Jay can't resist getting caught up in it, all too eager to finally be getting somewhere.

"Enough," Evie promises coyly, but her eyes give it all away.

"Guys," Mal says, and Jay has the distinct feeling they're hovering over the edge of something that says _'no going back.'_

"I think it's time Ben got himself a new girlfriend."

* * *

 _[Unaddressed letter to Mr. Oscar, Isle of the Lost]_

 _Carlos._

 _This might be my last letter for a while, and I don't have near enough paper to explain. I'd need a whole book for that, and my experience with writing books never really ended well for me. Or anyone else, for that matter._

 _Forget about that, though, that's not important. I managed to get a couple more sign language books onto the barges, enough to really get you going, if you can find them. You were always so smart, though, I bet you can do it._

 _Auradon isn't working. I can't stay in a kingdom that would let…you'll have heard. There's no avoiding it, not_ there _. I can't do anything more to help you, not while I'm here, not with all the kingdoms still coming together. Well, not all. Arendelle is refusing to join. The queen there is offering her kingdom as a sort of 'safe place' for anyone else who doesn't want to be part of Auradon and what they stand for._

 _With any luck, I'll be able to do there what I couldn't before. Find a happier ending for you._

 _Love,_

 _Isaac_


	31. Finders keepers (this is what you get)

**Hey guys!**

 **I know it's been ages since I've updated and I'm really sorry about that. Some family stuff came up and we've been working through taking care of that, plus some health issues I've been trying to figure out, and work has been getting insane because it's summer now, and summer and food/customer service mix really well. *can you hear my exhausted sarcasm through the screen?***

 **But I'm back and kicking up my usual angst with a super long chapter (over 17 thousand words not counting these notes) to make up for my absence.**

 **Let's get this started shall we? To the reviews!**

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 **DrWhy:** **Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you think so highly of this story, it really means a lot! I hope your finals went well, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **Descendants5HLM:** **Hey! Always great to hear from you no matter how long (or short) the review. ;) I'm really glad you're still enjoying my characterization because I'm trying to stay faithful to the personalities we see, while still giving them human reactions/reasons/lives to go along with them, so that's always a relief to hear. As for Mal and Evie, well, resolution is finally on its way, so yay for resolved conflicts! (And even more conflicts to make up for it.)**

 **Hope you continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **FlatFox:** **Thank you for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything I come up with and that I've somehow managed to make you speechless with this thing, haha. And yes, I did make up "static in the barrier," I'm glad you liked that! I figured there'd be some language differences considering that the Isle is basically its own little world given the drastic separation from Auradon. So I wanted to add some little things like different sayings or slang to reflect that. :)**

 **Hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **BlueMoon007** **: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and the backstory. We'll definitely be getting more of the backstory reveals now as Auradon starts digging, though they're certainly not the only ones digging. *coughcoughhinthint* ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **tradingtruthsforlies** **: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you'll enjoy this one just as much!**

 **Guest 1:** **Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked how I incorporated the movie dialogue; there's some more of that here, and in chapters to come as we get the ball rolling in movie territory now. And I'm glad you enjoyed my reveal, too! The mystery was fun but now that things are being revealed it's going to be even more fun seeing how everyone else reacts. ;)**

 **I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **EvietoyourMal:** **Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything I'm coming up with. I definitely wish a lot of things that the movie didn't give us…but that's why we have fanfiction, and specifically, this story lol. ;) Sorry for the wait, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it and you'll like it just as much!**

 **Kry Chi:** **Well...words spreads fast in the kingdoms, and I mean, bringing four of the worst villains' kids over is pretty big news…definitely enough to bring some kind of awareness….. Haha, sorry, I'm failing at the mystery act. Isaac _definitely_ knows that Carlos is in Auradon. As for Arandelle, we'll be seeing pretty soon just how things are playing out there, but don't you worry, it will most certainly be _fun_. ;) Hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! **

**ceara1888** **: Yeah, I definitely cut some stuff off, worried I was expositioning too much. Although I did end up adding a scene back in that I had initially cut in the draft because I thought it would leave it too short, lol. Plus, certain reveals had been made that I didn't quite want to make yet, so I cut it and left it for later…some of that later being now, ha. Thanks for catching that, though, I appreciate the constructive criticism and I'll keep a better eye out for that. (Though maybe be careful what you wish for, I do tend to ramble…I think this chapter/note is proof enough. ;))**

 **A:** **Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so much. In answer to your question, yes, the AKs will be finding out what Isle life was like, though just like in the movie, there's still going to be things that they don't (and won't) know. But the things that will be revealed are going to start being revealed, don't you worry. Hope you keep enjoying! :)**

 **Guest 2:** **I love that fic! I got a lot of my inspiration from it, if you couldn't tell. ;) I definitely thought it off how it came across that the VKs went through hell on the Isle but as soon as they got to Auradon they became just like the Auradonians and didn't care about the others still stuck there. So yeah, huge fix it with this fic, too. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy what I come up with!**

 **Random Reader:** **Haha, yes! I think it's safe to say that officially now, and I'm glad you caught it too! :D**

 **Time Turner:** **Oh don't you worry, this is just the beginning for Isaac and Carlos. *cackles maniacally* And yeah, Arendelle's got some choice words for Auradon, lol. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Hazminelol:** **Yep we are full steam ahead, all aboard the plot train! Woo hoo! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, even the sad parts. While I wouldn't say Audrey's life was 'horrible' it was definitely life, and it can be complicated and messy sometimes, and her masks were/are just one of the ways she's learned to deal with mess in a kingdom that doesn't like to admit that the mess exists in the first place.**

 **I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **JJ Will Protect You:** **Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far. Don't worry, things will be definitely be revealed soon. In the meantime, I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Tiredandlazy** **: Hello friend! I think I've got you beat for absences, honestly, lol, so who am I to complain?**

 **It's definitely like angst espresso shot up in here, haha. Pure angst extract….ok this is getting weird I'll stop now ahem!**

 **The AKs are certainly coming out of their shells a bit, though I'm often forgetting that other AKs exist outside of the ones I've mainly been focusing on, so in future chapters we'll be getting some more love for Jane, Lonnie, and Doug, just to be fair. ;)**

 **Ah Bennyboo! Poor, unfortunate soul that he is; just wants to help but man he really needs to shut up. (I'm being all self-aware here as this literally is one of the points in this chapter, lol) I'm glad you're loving what I'm doing with the characters; that was one of my concerns was if I was staying loyal to the personalities we see in the movie, while still giving human lives/experiences to explain what's going on behind them. Super relieved to hear I'm still on track! :)**

 **I also thought they were gonna drag out till it was garbage (affectionately using the term, here, haha) similarly to another series also helmed by Kenny Ortega. *chokes* highschoolmusical* What? Sorry, something stuck in my throat.**

 **Anyway, I'll keep being my humorous wizard self and majestically balance the angst and humor. Alakazam! ;)**

 **Hope you keep enjoying, Lazy! :)**

 **SkySorrow:** **Haha, answers to come my friend, I promise! In this chapter, actually, so I'll let you get to it. :)**

 **Nix:** ***sheepish laughter* Wow, I hadn't realized it had been that long. Sorry, I know I'm usually pretty good about updating but as I said, some things came up. But I am back, and the worst of the stuff has been cleared up so optimistically I should be on my usual schedule. Hope you keep following along and enjoying!**

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 **Whew, ok guys! Note time!**

 **Author's Note 1** **: ***Warnings for this chapter are important!*****

 **As I mentioned in a previous chapter, given the nature of the things this story has, is, and will deal with, this story is now rated M. Probably should have been from the start, but I was trying to toe the line to avoid scaring people off. (Pretty sure I've already scared off everybody that needs to be scared off anyway, and if not, then they most likely will be after this so…)**

 **That being said, this chapter contains references to, and descriptions of the aftermath of child abuse! It is not _explicit_ , but it's definitely pretty bloody compared to what I've done before, so please be warned! If anyone is bothered, or thinks they might be bothered, feel free to skip over the section of flashback in the beginning; I've left a sticker for you so you know. **

**Aside from that, there's the usual; violence and threats of violence, language, some mild implications/references/and brief descriptions of self-harm (part of the earlier blood warning), self-depreciating/self-hating thoughts; toxic parenting; implications/references to assault/rape (nothing graphic); mild/brief teased homophobia, as well as mentions of same sex relationships, and the beginnings of some non-faithful relationships.**

 **The worst of it is just in that beginning section, I promise. But again, as I haven't really gone quite that detailed (blood wise) before in my descriptions of the abuse the VKs have suffered, I just wanted everyone to be aware and be safe.**

* * *

 **Note 2: **

**Just the fun note for those who are interested. :) The songs that inspired this chapter are The Emperor's New Clothes by Panic!at the Disco (title), Taking you there by Broods, Karma Police by Radiohead (yes I'm using a lot of Radiohead for this story, fight me) ,House of Wolves by My Chemical Romance, Misguided Ghosts by Paramore, 3AM by Matchbox Twenty, and Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade.**

 **Alternative title for this chapter was 'Tell me I'm an angel (I'll take this to my grave) from House of Wolves by My Chemical Romance.**

 **Also, if you haven't noticed yet, I've updated and changed some of the previous chapter titles to better reflect the story/what goes on in them, some of which were original title ideas as well.**

 **Anyway, I think I've held you up long enough. Enjoy the chapter guys! I look forward to hearing what you think! :)**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **Mal**

They were known as the 'Core Four' for some reason. Sure, she guessed it made sense in some ways- there were four of them after all: her, Evie, Jay…and Carlos. Cruella's runt had joined them after all, following loyally after Evie, who'd been the one to bring him in even despite Mal's protesting. Given how soft the other girl was with the boy, it didn't surprise Mal how he trailed after her like a starving puppy. And he followed Jay, of course. She was too sharp not to notice the way the smaller boy looked at Jay, and just sharp enough to be sure the runt stayed where he was supposed to.

But he didn't follow her…not in the same way. He _feared_ her, and that would have been victory enough. But she sensed that he followed her lead purely out of self-preservation and because the others did. Not because he held any loyalty to her, specifically, but merely an obligation. Which meant that he was dangerous, and she would have to keep an eye on him to be sure he didn't turn on her.

While her crew had grown to a size of almost twenty, the pirates still outnumbered them, both in size and sheer strength. They'd grown more and more restless as time passed, taking to the very edges of their borders and attacking any 'mainlanders' they laid eyes on. Always perfectly toeing the line, and never taking any prisoners. It didn't help that Auradon had started sending over less and less, meaning that every fight for food was quite literally life or death, more often than not ending in death. Between the lack of food and the pirates' brutality, her ranks were thinning enough; she couldn't afford to have a single member out of step or out of line, not with stakes so high.

Which was how Mal found herself at de Vil manor -well, apartment- when she should have been with the rest of the gang, preparing for the next counter-strike against the pirates. The boy had been absent for nearly three days now, and while Mal wasn't worried, the others were. They couldn't be the 'Core Four' without the four. And as loathe as she was to admit it, the runt had a certain cunning about him that she had missed when planning strategy.

It's purely strategic, she reasoned with herself as she hovered on the steps outside Cruella's. She only wanted Carlos back for what use he could provide her. Not because she was growing sentimental. She wasn't that weak.

But still, she couldn't help the vague unease that coiled in her gut when she pounded on the door, and a high shriek met her in answer. Nor could she deny the pang of fear that stabbed through her chest when the door slammed open and Cruella herself appeared: hair a frazzled mess of gray and black, eyes wide and somehow piercing even with the vacant look on her face. It took all of Mal's strength (and a fair bit of Evie's training) to school her own features into something resembling her mother's severe glare, and to straighten her back to meet the woman's eyes and sneer:

"De Vil."

Instantly the woman's eyes cleared (though somehow the vacant expression remained), a strange, queasy sort of smile flitting across her face.

"Maleficent, darling! Oh, you never come and visit anymore come incomein!"

Mal blinked, uncertain as to what she should be offended about but feeling affronted all the same.

"I'm not-"

"Yes, I know, you never stay long but you must come in and have a drink at least!"

The promise of something potentially alcoholic did it, and Mal let herself follow the insane woman into the house.

It was a poor word to describe de Vil apartment. The room she stepped in was just that: a room, with one window bare of any curtains or drapes, and fittingly featuring a stunning view of a brick wall. The only other window that Mal had noticed had come from above, and faced the street, which honestly, if Mal had the choice, she'd take the view of the brick wall any day. Cruella had stepped into the part of the room that seemed to divide into a kind of kitchen, rummaging through a pantry above her head and muttering things that would have made an Auradonian faint.

The apartment reeked of cigarette smoke, the stench of it so sickeningly thick Mal almost couldn't make out what was underneath. But what her nose couldn't quite sense, her tongue helped to identify even more sickeningly as blood. And also, the promised alcohol. Among other things that she _really_ didn't want to guess about.

"Where have you been keeping yourself, Maleficent? Still in that stuffy tower you call a castle?"

Mal scoffed in spite of herself and rolled her eyes, sliding awkwardly out of the woman's way as she trod back into the main room, two glasses wobbling in tanned and oddly calloused hands.

"No, de Vil, you're referring to the Evil Queen. She's been banished for nearly eight years, remember? And anyway…"

"Oh that's right," Cruella muttered, and one of the glasses slipped from her fingers. Mal cringed as it hit the floor, but if Cruella noticed the *tnk* of the break, she didn't comment on it. "You took the castle for yourself and your…daughter."

Cruella hummed low in her throat, her eyes suddenly a bit sharper as they stared at her, and Mal panicked for all of two seconds before realizing she was waiting for an answer, and hadn't realized that she wasn't her mother.

"Yes…," she confirmed slowly, nodding just a bit and inching further towards the kitchen and away from the woman. Past the stove she could see a hallway, and she could only assume Carlos was somewhere in the house. Maybe she could…

"Such a pretty thing, daughters," Cruella hummed again, dark eyes blinking sluggishly. "You were so proud of yours, too. Little Mall-"

"Mal," Mal finished curtly, not daring to let the woman get any further. The day her mother was proud of her would be the day Mal died at her hands.

"No but you did pick something out, didn't you?" Cruella said, the one remaining glass spinning between her fingers. "You were always going on about how she'd grow into it someday but it was a nice, proper name…so proud…."

"She did?" Mal whispered, head turning sharply to stare in shock, and no small amount of awe. "I mean…yes, of course she has a proper name. But it's been so long since I've used it for her I must have…forgotten?"

"Hmm, I had a proper one, too," Cruella mused, not seeming to have taken Mal's hint. "Proper little boy…proper baby…Cer-"

"Carlos," Mal corrected sharply, not caring as much now about the other boy, not when she was this close to a clue about her true name. "But you were saying…proper names?"

"Carlos?" Cruella blinked, a small shudder rippling through her body, an odd twitch of disgust twisting her face. "No, not my baby…not…him…."

Mal had a retort ready on her lips, a copy of her mother's sneer painted across her face…but then she froze at Cruella's words, suddenly unsure.

"What."

"What?" Cruella whined it like a protest, her fingers jerking sharply upwards to fiddle with the shoulder of the coat she wore, losing the remaining glass in the process. This one was fortunate enough to roll instead of shatter, but Mal thought the shatter would have been more fitting.

"You said that Carlos wasn't your baby?" Mal repeated carefully, edging back towards the hall again just in case.

"Oh of course he's not!" Cruella shrieked, and her fingers closed around the shoulder of her coat and tugged. Something made an rrrrp! sound, and when Mal looked, in her hands Cruella cradled a small, ragged, stuffed Dalmatian puppy, a small strip of felt attached to its belly, matching the even smaller patch of Velcro on the shoulder of her coat.

"See?" Cruella huffed proudly, carefully rocking the stuffed toy. "My baby! Isn't he perfect? Oh, his beautiful spots…."

Mal felt her mouth opening, felt it close silently in equal parts wonder and terror. Words and thoughts flew half-formed through her head, though the only thing she could really solidify was that Cruella was absolutely insane, and that she needed to find Carlos. Now.

"Of course," she heard herself murmur. "Wonderful dog…baby…thing."

Cruella either didn't notice or didn't care to notice her slip up, too busy cooing to her dog.

"Cruella," she said lowly, eyeing the hallway out of the corner of her eye. "Where is Carlos? Your other baby?"

"Other?"

"Yes. Other. Carlos." Maybe enunciating would help.

"Worthless mongrel," Cruella snapped instantly, and Mal flinched at the sudden intense darkness in her eyes. Her own mother had often casually talked about killing her if she were to ever fail her, but in Cruella's eyes she saw actual intent. "Can you believe…I told him to clean this house from top to bottom and just look at it!"

Mal had seen, and it was hard to miss the small square that looked like a broken plastic shovel that served as an ashtray lying on a table with only two legs. The broken and discarded bottles of alcohol (which she felt slightly betrayed that never received, but also immensely grateful. Having met Cruella it wouldn't have surprised Mal if something toxic ended up in it). The filthy coats strewn over the back of the lone, plush rocking chair sat in the corner of the room, facing the window with the lovely brick wall. The dishes that had piled up in the sink of the kitchen, visible even from where she stood. And she didn't even want to think about what the rest of the house might look like.

"Disgusting," Mal deadpanned, not bothering to hide her revulsion.

"Just so!" Cruella screeched, and Mal flinched and ducked slightly on instinct. "When I get my hands on that boy…."

And suddenly it occurred to Mal that _this_ was why Carlos had been missing, and it struck with no small amount of urgency that she needed to find him before Cruella did. The woman in question had turned away in rage, muttering furiously and stroking her dog, and Mal took the chance to sprint down the hallway, grateful for once that she'd worn through the soles of her last shoes, her bare feet now serving as a positive as they aided her in her stealth.

Doors lined the hallway not ten feet in, two on the left, and one further down on the right, with a sharp bend at the very end signifying either stairs or potentially, another door. Mal didn't want to take her chances on flinging open each one, but panic was starting to overthrow the rational part and she knew she wasn't going to have enough time!

"Hades damn it," she hissed, before darting to the nearest door and trying to handle. It jolted in her hand, and she cursed again before moving to the next. That one turned, but when she pushed against it, it refused to open.

"Fucking shitfuck," Mal muttered harshly, wondering if she should even bother with the last door or just move to whatever was around the corner when something shifted.

She turned, breath catching in her throat, but Cruella's voice was still mumbling from out in the front of the house. Which meant that it had come from one of the doors she'd just tried. Hardly daring to hope let alone continue breathing, Mal crept back to the door that wasn't locked, pressing against it a bit harder. It jostled inwards minutely before she felt resistance, and a barely there whimper sounded from the other side.

"Carlos!"

 **warning sticker**

His name came in the rush of her relieved exhale, and the resistance stopped abruptly, the door giving and swinging inwards. Mal let herself stumble in with it, before closing it quickly and fumbling for the light. It switched on with a stilted series of flickering, and though it wasn't quite blinding, the sight that greeted her would definitely be stamped in her eyes forever.

Carlos, clad only in a filthy pair of shorts, stared up at her with wide, terrified eyes. His hair was slick, matted with what could only be blood, given that the parts that should have been white were a disgusting rust brown. His body and face were horrifically pale, so every bruise stood out in that much starker a contrast. Red splotched like ugly, overly large freckles across his collarbone and shoulders, patterned down the sides of his arms in horrific, perfect circles.

Where there wasn't pale or flushed or burned skin, there was the red, and black and brown of blood. So much blood…Mal grit her jaw against the revulsion and horror so strong it nearly made her stagger, and forced herself to take a deep breath to steady herself. She regretted that instantly and very nearly vomited, though it would have only added to what was already on the floor, along with the other fluids that she really really didn't want to think about didn't want to identify didn't need to see it to know could smell and taste and…..

"Hades above and gods below," Mal choked, the slur the only thing she could process, the only thing she would let herself process except fucking _Chernaboginhismoutain_ it wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was that Carlos' lower leg was stuck in a bear trap.

It clamped into the muscles of his calf just above his ankle, digging brutally into the bone of his shin…things that Mal could…could see and holyfuckingshit that was a lot of blood how was he not dead!?

"Carlos?" Mal gagged hoarsely, and the boy whimpered again before cringing and shoving his fingers into his mouth, biting down hard.

It was then that Mal could see that it was clearly not the first time he'd silenced himself like that; blood caked his hands- no doubt from trying to get the trap off- and the parts of his fingers that she could see bore bruises and bloodied welts from where he'd bitten into them.

"Shit, stop that!" she hissed, doing the only thing she could and throwing herself to her knees in the mess, grasping his hands and tugging them out of his mouth.

He yipped softly in pain before flinching again, his hands jerking in hers, but she held tightly, biting the inside of her own cheek to keep whatever noise was in her throat at bay.

"Fuck I'm not…fuck…I'm not going to hurt you Carlos, I swear!"

She could see the way his mouth worked behind his closed and bloodied lips, his throat spasming with words- but nothing came out expect a pained hum, and even that choked off too soon.

"Ok, ok, sh…ssh a sec…what...fucking hell this- What hurts the most? Is anything broken?"

 **safe**

It should have been obvious enough from her perspective just how much pain he was in, what should be the biggest concern; but she didn't know how he processed pain, how long he'd been there for. (All three of those days where she had silently enjoyed his absence, never knowing that this was what awaited?) For all she knew, there were other injuries…though she really, desperately hoped that this was the extent.

Carlos' face twitched, screwed up like he might suddenly cry…and then immediately cleared into a horrific blank mask, his eyes the only thing reflecting just how badly he hurt.

"Shit, come on, Carlos!" she whined, cocking her head back reflexively to listen for Cruella. "I'm going to get you out of this but you need to work with me!"

His cheek twitched, and his breath came out as a sharp exhale, but it was clear she wasn't going to get anywhere with the youngest de Vil either. She huffed her own sharp exhale and rocked back on her heels, eyeing the bear trap miserably.

"Ok then, going for the big one first."

Carlo twitched and blinked and his mask split to convey absolute panic; his body cringing with that fear of sudden, worse pain.

"It's a spring, right?" she asked him in an undertone, if only to pretend that his fear wasn't her own. "Just have to release it and the tension goes and it opens."

His mouth opened, lips curling sharply in a vicious, incredulous expression as he pointedly waved his bloodied fingers in front of her face.

"I don't need the sarcasm, runt," she snapped back, though she was relieved he could manage even that. "I'm saving your life, you know."

Something sober flicked into his eyes at that, his chin dropping slowly. _I know._

Mal didn't want to dwell on that, but her mind forced her to dwell on just how slow that movement really was in comparison to his already sluggish ones; how he hadn't lifted his head back up yet and she was almost certain his breathing was shallower.

"Sshiit!" she hissed, sucking the air sharply through her teeth and rocking anxiously on her heels. "Shiiiit, this is gonna hurt. Course you probably already know this is gonna hurt…but also you're unconscious so you're probably gonna die before I get you out."

Mal blinked, something thick in her throat, pressure behind her eyes and nose.

"Fuck, you're not going to die, Carlos. There's no core four without you and I'm not losing more of my crew so I'm getting you out of here."

She couldn't begin to say where any of her thoughts or feelings were coming from, but she knew at least the words were true. Carlos was hers now and she wasn't going to let him die. Not here, not ever.

From beyond the door, Cruella gave a sudden shriek, and Carlos jerked, head lifting only just high enough off his chest to give the illusion of awareness. But if anything, Cruella's anguish only served as a final declaration: time was up, and she needed to act now.

"This is going to hurt," Mal groaned again, rolling forward onto her feet and inching reluctantly towards the trap. She didn't know if she was saying it as a warning or just to prepare herself, but Carlos' eyes flickered that fear again in acknowledgment, and it didn't really matter how terrified she was because if she didn't do this….

"Ok," she babbled, if only to fill the pit of that awful anticipation. "Ok so spring…tiny spring trap not that big a deal…not a proper _bear_ trap at least so that's good you know…means you'll get to keep your leg…."

Carlos didn't react to her words, but Mal was almost certain he was down for the count, and her knowledge gleaned from nights drinking at Gaston's tavern would only help if she actually saved him. It didn't fail to occur to her, briefly, that something like this should never have happened in the first place; that someone like Cruella shouldn't have been able to access something this dangerous; that a parent wasn't something a child should need to be protected from, but the thing you could go to. But then the thought was gone, and she was stepping onto the spring of the trap, shifting her body weight as much as she could to avoid the….*whap!*

Carlos jerked into awareness with a scream that was more a high whistle of air than sound, and Mal thought she might have screamed too except her mind was rejecting the images her eyes were throwing at it; so all she really got was the vague impression of red and white and red red red.

And then a far different scream sounded, one with actual syllables in it, and Mal's ears picked up on it and her brain focused just enough to hear:

"…rlos?!"

"Fuck," she whispered, both because there was no avoiding Cruella now, but also because her brain was working again and she was able to fully take stock of what she'd just done.

The trap was off, at least...that she was just able to make out, glinting dimly with gore in the corner of the room. But Carlos' leg….

"Ok, hey," she muttered to the boy, as he screamed another not-scream through lips just as horrifically wet. "Hey at least it's still attached to you, right?"

It wasn't the time for such a quip, and Carlos might have glared at her expect he chose that moment to collapse again, his body shuddering violently in time with his ragged breathing. Mal just registered the danger in that- the danger in all of it really and had she really thought her mother was dangerous? - and somehow managed to reach for him in time to stop his head striking the floor.

"Well," she mused lowly, his body scarily light in her arms. "This is a situation."

And it's a situation she put herself in, and so she hefts Carlos up as gently as she can, grimacing and trying not to look at him…not to see…and prying the door open again. It had barely wiggled in the frame before she heard Cruella shriek:

"Carlos!?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin (which was a poor choice of words considering just how horribly damaged Carlos' own skin, amongst everything else, was), but the sound of the woman's voice was coming not from the front of the house, but from the back, that odd corner that Mal hadn't had the chance to peek around.

She doesn't dare peek around it now, instead hastily shifting the door closed behind her (it was a closet, her brain filled in in hindsight) and hobbled shakily towards the front door, doing her best to keep both her feet and Carlos' away from the sharp edges of broken glass. There was a lot more of it now than there had been when she'd first entered, and she chalked it up to the screeching she'd heard, no doubt Cruella's version of a tantrum.

"Carlos!" Cruella wailed as Mal creaked open the front door. "Carlos, don't hide! Don't hide from mommy…."

And that was all Mal got before she slammed the door closed and was off, as close to sprinting as she could with Carlos' weight. He was barely more a rag doll, really, but even then he was still heavy. It was more dead weight than anything, and it wasn't a poor choice of words here so much as reality; and once she was out of range of de Vil apartments and back into the territory of her Isle, she propped Carlos further against her elbow, stuck her pinky in the corner of her mouth, and whistled.

A simple call, three short notes in descending order that didn't so much as echo as drift.

"I was wondering how long that was going to take."

The shadows peeled back, and Daisha was there, raven hair and dark gold eyes peering out from a solemn, ashen face.

"I didn't ask you to follow me," Mal snarled back, but she was certain her relief was still plain on her face, and it certainly showed when Daisha effortlessly shifted Carlos' weight into her own arms.

"Time?" she asked, as the other girl cast a dark look over Carlos' body.

"None."

"Time," Mal repeated firmly, not accepting it…that wasn't an answer…not with one of hers.

Daisha just fixed her with a look, and Mal tried to snarl again, but it caught as something like a mix between a sob and a heave.

"Who's on patrol?" she asked, switching gears instantly and striding with purpose down the nearest alley. They were far from her hideout, but not too far that her allies (and enemies) weren't around.

"Jay," Daisha answered immediately, and her feet shuffled resolutely behind Mal's, no trace of a waver even with Carlos.

"And on your side?"

A pause, and Mal feared she might have been too bold, had a crossed a line. (Like she hadn't already. Just the other girl's presence….)

"Fen," Daisha said, and Mal grimaced even as her insides twisted relief.

"She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you."

She scoffed, but picked up her pace, turning off and skirting the edge of the markets, not even sparing Jafar's shop a glance as she made her way deeper along the border of her territory.

"She hates me," Daisha murmured. "And takes it out on you."

"That makes sense," Mal answered, daring to shoot a sarcastic look over her shoulder.

Carlos' ghost-like appearance took away some of her bantered edge, desperation creeping in for a moment. And then she caught Daisha's eyes, and nearly froze at the sudden depth in them.

"She knows what you mean to me."

"Is that sentiment?" Mal retaliated, refusing to acknowledge the words, the way they made something warm and powerful fuzz in her chest. "I thought you were better than that."

Daisha's mouth curled downwards at one side, though her eyes sparked with something so intense Mal turned away, so the next words caught against her back.

"Not by a long shot, little dragon."

A howl cut across whatever Mal might have spluttered out in response, and dread coiled again in her gut even as Daisha spat a scoff behind her.

"Good old Fen," she muttered lowly, and Mal paused long enough to let the girl get level with her before posing her concern.

"Will the clan accept this?" Accept this…accept me…accept the danger I'm bringing…accept Carlos.

"The clan follows me."

"Yeah, but like…your dad…."

Daisha chuckled, that low, soft one that made Mal _feel things_ she wasn't supposed to.

"The clan will accept this just fine."

"And Fen?" Mal had to prod.

"She won't be a problem."

There was an edge of something her voice, and Mal shook her head slowly, staring as the other girl took the lead and shifted the chain link fence at the end of the alley. It opened at an odd angle, but she carefully and delicately (oddly) lifted Carlos over and through the gap, before climbing softly through herself. Mal's entrance was decidedly less graceful, but only because of how quickly she moved, anxious to be sure Carlos was ok.

A bird shrieked from somewhere up ahead, though if it was an actual bird or just another clan member sending a signal, Mal couldn't tell. Daisha hooted off a call of her own, something that started high, then ended with a low trill, and instantly the shadows were moving. Mal reached for her knife on instinct, and the high metallic ringing of multiple blades answered her own, undrawn one.

Daisha barked a rough noise, instantly tense, and the arm not supporting Carlos went out to block Mal.

"Draw that blade, I dare you," a voice challenged from the crowd. "See how long it takes you to die."

Mal would have easily met the challenge and happily drawn her knife, but Daisha's arm in front of her was more than just an ineffective shield, and she willed her instincts to subside; returning her hands to her sides in clenched, but docile fists. The tension in Daisha's shoulders eased just slightly, and Mal guessed she must have made the right decision, as the weapons drawn against her also seemed to lower minutely. Then the crowd broke and there was a startling flash of dark chestnut hair, along with the equally startling flash of metal.

And just like that Carlos was in her arms again, and Daisha was locking blades with another armor-clad warrior. It was only that: a clash of blades; because in the next instant the other girl was on her back and even more blood was staining the ground, splattering from a horizontal tear across her face from ear to the edge of her lip. The girl growled and lunged, but a brutal kick sent her crashing to the ground, and the follow up blows to her chest and stomach had her curled on her side in agony.

"Stay down, Fen."

Daisha's voice was strange, not quite her own. It was darker, somehow. Dangerous. Mal could understand now, watching the way Fenris' blood dripped off the edge of her sword, just how the girl had said that the clan followed her. Barely had she processed this stir than a low voice growled from beyond the edge of the gathered clan:

"If you know what's good for you, you'll listen to her, Fenris."

The girl on the ground flinched, but remained on the ground, the red tainted snarl curling her lips the only thing remaining of her hostility. The clan parted fully now, and Mal found herself facing an ominously tall man; broad shoulders that rippled with strength even with the slight bend to his spine. Dark hair that hung long and thick about his face, with a sharp jaw and even sharper eyes that flared with a familiar, yet foreign, golden hue.

"Father."

"Daisha."

The man stopped just in front of them, and Mal sucked a breath and held it, shifting Carlos closer against her side as he lifted his hand. But instead of violence, he cupped his daughter's jaw firmly, his fingers moving with a strange sort of care.

"It's about time you returned," he rumbled, gold eyes flickering with intent over Mal and Carlos.

"I always do," Daisha countered, but she made no move to shield Mal this time, her gaze pointed as she watched her father's movements.

The man scoffed in response, but his own eyes were bright, his grim mouth smiling just as smugly and morbid as she was.

A part of Mal wanted to flee; though not before making it clear just how she felt about being led into this situation. But then she remembered just who it was she stood before, and a move like that would only lead to her death, and by extension, Carlos.' So with a determination she didn't think she should possess she stood her ground, lifting her eyes and letting them light with her forged courage.

"And who are you?"

"Daughter of Maleficent," she answered, as stiffly as she dared facing the former leader of the Hun clan.

"That's not what I asked," Shan Yu replied, and she froze, uncertain. It was usually the only identification that anyone needed on the Isle. No one cared much who you were outside of your parentage, unless your genetic link could earn them favors.

"I…My name is Mal, Sir."

"'Sir!'" he barked, and she jumped at the sound, shifting backwards warily. "There is no place for such formality here, but I won't deny that it's appreciated."

"Huh," Mal echoed meekly, at a loss and unable to process the tumultuous shifting of her expectations.

"And just who is 'Mal, daughter of Maleficent?'"

"Just that…for now," Mal replied, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daisha mirror the smirk that crossed his face.

"Hm. We shall see," he said, before his features turned sharply into a fierce glower as his eyes settled on Carlos. "Fenris," he barked. "Enough of your groveling; go and get someone for the boy!"

The rest of the clan scattered seamlessly back into shadow at his words, and the other girl picked herself bitterly up from the ground, casting Mal a dark look before slinking back through the crowd.

"Does this mean you're not going to kill me?"

"Not today, at least."

Mal paled, but Daisha laughed, and her body moved to lean comfortingly into Mal's, once more taking Carlos' weight and passing it easily on to a waiting warrior.

"I knew he was going to like you," she murmured in Mal's ear. "You are officially under the clan's protection."

"Safe?" Mal muttered, shaking her head mutely in disbelief.

"You are surrounded on all sides by the fiercest and noblest of the remaining Hun army. An enemy so much as sneezes and you'll know when we bring you their head."

"Pretty sure noblest isn't a word," Mal murmured back, the knowledge of how close she'd come to losing Carlos weighing too heavily to take anything lightly. "And being around the Hun army, even if it's only whatever's left, isn't as comforting as you think it should be."

"How about this?"

Daisha's mouth met the skin behind Mal's ear, and as much as she wanted it to be comforting, the simple kiss forced her mind to conjure up a different scenario entirely. And so instead of leaning back into it or returning the gesture, Mal's body stiffened, a sharp noise of protest catching in her throat; her eyes squeezing shut so she didn't have to see the disappointment on the other girl's face.

"Right, I forgot," Daisha murmured softly, her voice still close even as the warmth of her body moved away. "You don't do casual."

Mal shook her head, not so much out of denial or cruelty, but because she knew that if she tried to say anything now she'd ruin…whatever this was.

"I'm sorry," Daisha said, and Mal coughed something resembling bemusement, her eyes flickering open because if she didn't know any better she'd have said the girl sounded genuine.

But when she met Daisha's eyes she could tell it was, and she turned her head sharply back because they couldn't…she couldn't _do this_.

"Meaningless words," she said, as harshly as she could while choking on the sentence.

"Maybe on your side of the Isle," Daisha quipped, either choosing to ignore or just not noticing the tone of Mal's voice.

"On any side of the Isle, if you're smart," Mal retorted tensely, hoping she would get the hint- would chance the subject before she could be seen through.

"You know what?" Daisha said, and the rapidness of the change of tone made Mal flinch.

"What?" she asked, turning cautiously into Daisha's far too easy smile.

"Someday we're going to get to Auradon, and then it won't matter what side of the Isle we came from cuz we'll have the whole kingdom."

"Oh yeah?" Mal retorted, melting into bemusement in spite of herself. "You really think Auradon will let us into their perfect kingdom?"

Daisha grinned a deadly grin, eyes bright gold and gleaming just as darkly as the edge of her blade.

"They will when we take it from them, piece by piece."

"Piece by piece," Mal echoed slowly, her own eyes lighting at the idea. "I think I like the sound of that."

* * *

 **Chad**

It was raining hard enough to drown the world, and while on most nights like this he'd probably let it, tonight Audrey is sitting on the edge of his bed, and he's trying to figure out how she got there.

"I just…I didn't know what else to do," she was saying, and he blinks, not quite understanding.

"So you came to me? In the middle of the night?" He's trying for something teasing but it comes out more incredulous than he'd wanted.

Audrey doesn't huff a sigh or roll her eyes. If anything her expression manages to turn even more vulnerable, her shoulders stiffening as she folds her arms around herself, her eyes fixed on his bedsheets.

"I couldn't go to Ben." She says it in an odd rush, but each syllable is distinctly pronounced to his ears.

"So you came to me," he repeats dumbly. "In the middle of the night."

"Chad, please," she hisses, and it's then that he realizes that it's not just frustration or vulnerability in her eyes. It's fear. "You know he wouldn't understand."

 _So you came to me in the middle of the night?_ It plays in his head in a stiff, disjointed loop, and it's only the fear glinting in her eyes that stops him from saying it aloud for a third time. Instead he draws a deep breath, because he knows she's absolutely right, and says instead:

"What do you need me to do?"

Her lips flicker upwards gratefully, even if her eyes don't quite do the same. "Just...be here?" She whispers cautiously, and he dares to shuffle just a bit closer, dares to let his shoulder brush hers.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assures her softly. "It's my room, after all."

She chuckles once, but his words seem to sober her at last, as she edges over until there's a far more platonic space of air between them. It's just a wide enough gap for all the odd tension to hang, and Chad frowns nervously, eyeing the patterns the rain dripped against the curtain.

"What happened?" he finally asks, when the spider web etches grow too dark.

"Couldn't sleep. Went for a walk and ended up with the VKs."

"Well that's a sentence," Chad mutters, and he can't tell which part to comment on first; which is the most important.

Audrey's eyes are distant, despite the closeness of her body. It's a closeness spanned only by the space between them, a space which, after a moment, Chad breaches. It was the right move (the wrong move, so very much the _wrong_ move) as Audrey takes his silent offer and leans against his shoulder, and he is all too aware of the lack of hesitation on her part, the utter ease and no small amount of comfort.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asks, with a mouth and tongue so dry that no amount of rain could have quenched it.

She shakes her head- her head which is just under his jaw and when did it get there why does this feel so right this shouldn't be right!

"It was too quiet," she says, her voice rumbling warmth through his chest. "Most nights I can just ignore it but with the rain, and everything else, it was just…."

"Yeah," he murmurs quietly, his arm shifting up, wrapping around her shoulder. "I get it."

"And then I ran into Mal," she says, and the abruptness of her lowered voice shocks him enough that his arm drops slightly from around her.

"Oh yeah?" He manages to keep is tone somewhat light, but his wariness comes through all the same. "And how did that adventure go."

"I think she's playing me," Audrey says, and while the words are alarming enough it's the _lack_ of alarm in Audrey's voice that scares him. "I couldn't say what for, but there was something about her eyes…."

"These masks we wear…" Chad drawls ruefully, and Audrey sighs heavily into his shoulder.

"She told me Maleficent used to beat her."

Audrey's voice is so quiet, that if it weren't for the sudden cold he felt he wouldn't have been able to say for sure that she had spoken. But he knows she'd spoken because in the dark before him his mind conjures up a memory of his mother- back when he'd been too young to care about trivial things like boundaries and privacy; the haunted look of horror in her eyes as they met his in the bathroom mirror- not because he'd burst in without knocking, but because of the thin, pale lines across her shoulders that he'd just gotten a glimpse of before he'd been rapidly ushered out. Later on he had learned that they were 'gifts' from the Lady Tremaine; scars from her cane. It didn't occur to him until now just how much of an impact she would have had to make- how hard she had to have struck to leave even those thin marks.

"Mal told you that?" he hisses, or tries to, at least. He couldn't quite get enough air in to push it back out in the proper way for a hiss, so he simply ends up sounding breathless. (He feels breathless.) Then Audrey's previous words register, and he blinks cautiously down at her, trying to articulate his concern.

"She could have been manipulating you-?" He says, his voice breaking partway through in spite of himself and turning it into a question.

"I thought of that," Audrey replies, thankfully not commenting on his slip up. She's still leaning too closely against him, but at this point it was just one of many things to worry about the consequences of later. "But it wasn't a manipulation…more like, a mistake."

"Hm?" Chad murmurs, frowning at the top of her head. She sighs and shifts her weight so she's leaning more solidly against him, and it stabs a bolt of panic through his chest before the part of him that was being decidedly stupid got comfortable again.

"It was too off hand," Audrey explains quietly, not noticing his brief lapse (or would it be self-awareness?) "And she knew right away that I'd caught onto it because she tried to make me forget about it. Everything else though…that was a play because the whole point was to make _sure_ I'd think about it."

"I…I don't think I get it," Chad admits with a sheepish chuckle. "But I was never great at the political game anyway so maybe that's why."

Audrey scoffs quietly, but he can tell she's still too somber because it trails off too soon.

"And now I don't know what to do," she says, and there's something in her voice that has him sitting upright, her head lifting from his shoulder. "I have to do something- I've _wanted_ to do something, ever since they came- but I've just been _so careful-_ "

Outside, the rain falls silent almost abruptly, and Chad does not, in fact, appreciate the emphasis it adds to Audrey's words.

"I've always been so careful," she repeats, nearly in an undertone, and he starts to wonder if this was even meant for him when she continues. "And that can't stop just because we know more than we bargained for."

"And Ben's not careful," Chad finishes slowly, understanding dawning in painful, horrifying clarity.

"He doesn't know how to be," Audrey confirms, oblivious to his sudden turmoil. "And I can't…I can't keep doing…this."

"So you came to me," Chad says, because third time's the charm, after all. "In the middle of the night."

"Yeah," Audrey whispers, the weight of the world in her voice. "I did."

And third time might have been the charm, but the weight of Audrey's body against his was damningly heavy, and Chad knows he could never dare to be that lucky.

* * *

 **Evie**

It was raining, and it might have been something to be excited about except they were inside, and the rolling thunder seemed to taunt her- too closely a parallel to her own turmoil. A week since the Council had met to determine their fate. A week since she and Mal had fought. A week of tumultuous silence. And now this storm….

*barumbarumbarum!* went the thunder, and Evie drew a breath and held it because she didn't think the noise was loud enough to drown out everything she wanted to say.

"I'm awake."

The storm rumbles lowly beneath the current of Mal's voice, and Evie's glad she was still holding her words in because she might have let them go if it weren't for that rumble.

"Just say it, E," Mal's voice sighs.

"Say what?"

"Whatever it is that's been bothering you that I can hear it all the way over here."

Mal's voice was light, but it's light like the rain was, and even that still slammed against the dorm windows.

"Nothing's been-"

"Stop."

She might have flinched, or it could have just been the lightning in the command.

"I lied," Evie blurts, stiffening sharply beneath the thick sheets.

"About?"

Was that thunder or just the drawl in Mal's voice? Evie couldn't tell but she was shaking, and storms like this had never scared her before on the Isle so why was this so different?

"My mother gave me her mirror before we left."

The room was suddenly filled with light, and she thought for a second that it was another flash of lightning, but the light stayed, and she sat up instantly. Mal's hand fell back from the lamp switch, her body tense and alert in her own upright position in a way that made Evie wonder how long she'd been up. But then she saw the look in Mal's eyes…and the darkened storm outside was nothing compared those eyes.

"I'-"

"Why'd you lie?"

"Because it's what's expected of us as children of villains?"

It's a pitiful way out, but Evie goes for it anyway, doing her best to maintain a skeptical air.

"Don't, Eve."

There's an odd twitch of light with another lightning flash that does nothing to hide the way Evie flinches. She was never 'Eve' in the same way that she was never 'Evelyn'- because Evelyn was half-used bits of makeup melted down and held together with paper smiles and plastic crowns; was a princess in name only but her mother had made sure that name was going to be used. 'Eve' was as close to full name as she allowed, and to hear it from Mal now…. She drops her eyes because she can't trust herself to maintain that eye contact; doesn't trust herself to speak under the pressure of that name.

"E."

It's softer, but it's not any better because there's still the full weight of the storm pounding behind it all and….

" _Evie_."

"Because for nearly every day that I can remember my mother would stand me in front of a mirror and point out everything she hated about me."

There's a strange lull in the storm that her voice brings, but it's ok because her words are more than enough to make up for it.

"And every reflection just made for pain later but I still had to look forward to each one because maybe something had changed, maybe she'd see…me…just once."

Her voice breaks, and even with the rain she knows she doesn't do a good enough job of hiding the weakness because across from her Mal's head tilts minutely. She exhales sharply and then draws it right back in again because she's barely keeping her words in check but even those words aren't good enough.

"She gave me the mirror so we could complete our mission but when I looked into it…I couldn't recognize myself. I could only see her and I didn't want… I just want to know what I look like."

"And I know that that's all you want but I never wanted to _be_ my mother. You were the first person to see me as something outside of what my mother made me in to and I...Idon't want to lose that." _Don't want to lose you don't want to lose us._

It sticks in the air in her lungs, burning in her throat, pounding agony through her veins as she waits; but it's a silence that's maintained because she doesn't dare let that air go- let those feelings go. Mal lets out a shaky sigh, and it's as if all the weight of the world were in that sigh. Evie can almost picture her eyes rolling upwards, the irritation that must surely be in her gaze.

"Where's the mirror now?"

Evie's glad she's holding her breath, because she isn't sure what sound she might have made. Only that it, too, gets stuck, throbbing in time with the syllables echoing in her head.

 _Of course she still wants to know how could expect anything less? How could you expect anything more? Forgiveness? This is what you deserve it's what you get now tell her tell her tell her!_

"I'm s-" _Wrong words wrong words she doesn't want to hear it, not from you not right now not ever._

"The- the bottom of one of Carlos' trash bags," she chokes out, the words more bitter than any of her mother's potions.

Mal hums softly in acknowledgement, but it just as well could have been as loud as the retreating thunder for the way it makes Evie's stomach clench.

"And knowing you there's nothing else in that bag he'd be likely to go looking for. Good."

"Good," Evie repeats numbly, voice shaking in spite of herself.

 _In spite of yourself?_ Because _of yourself! Don't you cry, don't you dare. This is what you_ deserve _._

"Means it'll make things easier when we burn it."

The thunder fades to background noise, and even the poisonous voice falls silent in the wake of Mal's sentence. Evie's head snaps up, eyes searching dimly for the side of Mal's face she can fully see. There's nothing but grim determination in her expression, and it's so far from what she'd been expecting that Evie can't do much but stare blankly.

"I don't-"

The corner of Mal's mouth that she can see twists in a grimace, but her eyes flicker with something unexpected.

"Well I was going to say throw it away, but then it'd just go back to the Isle and we'd be right where we started. And anyway, I've been wanting to burn a lot of Carlos' clothes for a while now, so."

She shrugs, and her eyes flicker again, and it's then that Evie processes what she had said; what the flicker was in her eyes. Shame. Guilt.

"I-"

"Don't," Mal says, and her eyes are suddenly sharp again, even with the grimace still staining her lips. "Let's just agree that we've both been bitches about this and move on. Fair trade."

 _Fair trade? If you really want to make it fair you'd say what is that_ you've _been lying about. Why you pushed the Cricket on us in the first place._

Shut up, Evie tells the voice, and it obliges, but the thought remains unbidden.

"You're not going to use it?" She pushes instead, searching for any traces of betrayal in Mal's face. Use me?

Oh you're one to talk.

"No," Mal says, and her voice carries the finality reflected in her eyes, in the last lingering clap of the storm. "Not unless you want to."

"I don't," Evie is quick to confirm. What would it show her that she hadn't already seen? That she didn't know. "But…but I don't want to burn it."

She drops her eyes again because she knows what's going to be in Mal's, and she doesn't want to meet that expression. To prove it.

"Ok," Mal says after a moment. "But I still want to burn Carlos' clothes."

She might have laughed, but it turned to a cry before she could stifle either sound, and by then the room was already blurring together under a different kind of rain. Her body shudders with the force of her sobs, irreverent to her attempts to stifle them, and so it takes her a moment to register the pressure on her hands, then on her face. She knows what it is- who it is- and tries to close herself off; to pull back from the weight. It doesn't budge, and so she cracks open her eyes reluctantly, and nearly breaks down again at the sight of Mal kneeling in front of her; the other girl's hands the pressure she'd felt- the pads of her thumbs gentle where they wipe the tears from her face.

"I have never seen you as anything other than who you are," Mal whispers, and her voice is hoarse with something like ferocity, her own eyes bright where they meet Evie's. " _Who_ you are, Eve, you understand?"

"I'm not-"

"Don't you say that you're not anything!" Mal interrupts, her eyes flashing green even as her fingers chase the tears across her cheekbone. "You are fiercely determined to carry out whatever scheme you set your mind on. You are wicked smart and could probably beat out Cruella's designs in fashion any day. You care so much about others that you forget to care about yourself and you are _part of my crew_ , E. That's who you are."

Evie chokes on another sob, closing her eyes tight and dropping her head because she can't accept the words; can't allow the softness of Mal's hands to linger. She doesn't deserve soft- she deserves the fire of those green eyes, deserves the hatred. Deserves the _pain…_

"Hey, look at me." Mal's voice is still so soft and entreating, and Evie hiccups shakily as she lifts her head, blue meeting green in a delicate balance. "I forget it, ok? It's already been forgotten. You are part of my crew; that means you're one of _mine_ , E, and nothing is going to change that."

And it's more than she deserves, so much more but the thunder is gone from Mal's voice- even the rain outside had stopped. How did that saying go? Rainbows after rain? And even though the Isle had never allowed for such a sight, Evie thinks she could almost bring herself to believe a day might come where she could. But right now she can see the light of the emotions in Mal's eyes, and she decides that right now was enough.

* * *

 **Carlos**

"So just to clarify: you knew whe-whe-re the wand was and didn't say an-an-anything till now?"

Mal shoots him a look, but he thinks his question was valid enough all things considered.

"Fairy Godmother let it slip early on that it's in some museum, so all we have to do is get to the museum and get the wand."

"Oh is that all?" Jay humphs, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring. "Why don't we hop a magic carpet while we're at it, round things out."

"You have a plan, or you wouldn't have said anything at all," Evie says quietly from the bed, eyes glued to the fabric in her hands. It's a bright grey color, with some of the red that Jay had stolen twice mixed in. (once from whoever had owned it before, and the second time from Carlos, though not for lack of protest on the other boy's part.)

Mal's lips twitch in acknowledgment, a self-satisfied sort of look on her face as she nods her head once.

"Ok but like, what is it? The pplan?" Carlos fidgets with the links on his dog tail, the once bright red now an off-orange, so it looked more like a fox than the dog it was supposed to be.

"We have to find a way to scope out the area," Mal says drawing out her spell book and a pen and flipping to a blank page towards the back. "Figure out if they have anything guarding it, and plot out entrances, escape routes…."

"So basically like our raids on the pirates back on the Isle," Jay interjects, and Evie scoffs lightly, meeting his eyes in shared amusement.

"This is a more than just a raid," Mal snaps, so sharply that Carlos wasn't the only one to flinch. "Need I remind you that this is our one. chance. To prove ourselves to our parents."

The air in the room seemed to get heavier, suddenly, dark and oppressive with the weight of Mal's words.

"To prove that we are evil and vicious, and ruthless, and cruel," she continues, eyes pointed as she glares at each of them, an intensity burning there that was more than just the magic. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Carlos agrees, shrugging half-heartedly.

"Sure, something like that," Jay mutters, not meeting Mal's eyes.

Evie doesn't say anything, but Carlos watches her carefully pin the section she'd been working on, sliding her needle through a seam of fabric to secure it and folding it all away, which pretty much said all she would have.

"Ok," Mal says, relief and some sort of finality in her voice as she nods again. "We'll keep working on Ben for now, but we're going to need to figure out a route to the wand. Thoughts?"

"I could…ask Doug?" Evie says slowly, then she frowns, her face screwing up in disgust. "Ew that felt weird to say. But he's always staring at me like I'm some complex equation, so it shouldn't be that hard to find something out."

"Discreetly," Mal says, nodding absently in agreement.

Evie spreads her hands and fixes her with a look as if to say 'really?', and Carlos tenses in anticipation of some kind of explosion. Then Mal shakes her head and mutters: "Well the sarcasm isn't necessary," and the release of the tension is almost audible.

"It just sucks your mom was too much of a bitch to give you her mirror, E," Jay chides in only half-teasing bitterness. "We could've just asked it and we'd probably have the wand by now."

Evie stiffens, and Carlos recognizes the danger immediately, shooting Jay a warning look, but Mal gets there first.

"It wouldn't be our work then," she snaps, not quite vicious but certainly fierce. "This is _our_ job, not our parents.' Besides, if she had given it to Evie, that would have left her with nothing to admire herself in, and we couldn't have that now could we?"

She finishes it with a teasing eye roll in Evie's direction, and though the other girl scoffs, Carlos can sense Evie's relief. It's strange…as if she's almost too relieved, but he dismisses it as the general unease that usually followed talking about any of their parents.

"Ok, so we know where the wand is, but do we know _where_ that is?" Mal asks, and Jay shoots upright sharply, eyes widening.

"I've got a thing for that I think!" he gasps, and he's on the floor and tugging the black duffle from under the bed before anyone can so much as blink. "It's one of those weird, Auradon tech things, but supposedly, you can look for things with it just like a mirror."

"Well isn't that convenient for the plot," Evie mumbles, lips twitching oddly.

"What?" Carlos asks, and she jumps, apparently having misjudged how within earshot he had been.

"Nothing," she mumbles immediately, almost pointedly turning to see what Jay was tugging out of the bag.

Carlos follows her example, but he keeps watch out of the corner of his eyes. Evie had been off for a couple weeks now, and while he wasn't going to lie and say that they all hadn't been, it had hit the older girl harder, for some reason. Well, he wasn't going to lie about that either. He knew exactly what reason.

"Jay if you've been holding out on me I swear to all that is Evil…." Mal drawls the threat with practiced ease, and Carlos is no stranger to the way her eyes gleam with very real promise.

Jay waves off her threat (flips off her threat, really) with even more ease, tugging a small black box looking thing from the bag. It takes a second, but Carlos recognizes it and his stomach flutters with energy.

"Is th-at-?" he hardly dares to breathe the words, afraid the object will disappear. But it's very solid and very much _real_ when Jay winks and tosses it his way, and he fumbles, squawking awkwardly as his fingers settle around the thing he'd only ever seen bits and pieces of on the Isle.

"A cell phone." Jay announces proudly, as Carlos shakily presses a button and the phone comes to life in his hands.

"Oh you son of a _bitch_!" Mal crows, but her eyes are bright and eager as she dashes over to his side, her chin on his shoulder as she watches him push the keys.

"Uh, no, Carlos is right there," Jay replies cheekily, and Carlos would flip him off but he's too busy staring in awe at the phone, which is currently displaying a simple screen of light, with small pictures on it.

One is labeled 'Contacts,' and has a picture of a person on it. The other is obvious enough from the picture of the 'Camera,' and a third says 'Messages,' while displaying an envelope. The fourth and final picture looks like a tiny orb, with a castle on top that says 'AuraWeb,' and Carlos shivers as his fingers press buttons at random, thrilled at each new thing it does.

"Do I even want to know whose this was?" Mal asks, her head lifting just long enough to give Jay a narrow eyed glare.

"Was?" Evie asks, looking almost amused as she lifts a brow.

"Well it's very obviously Carlos' now," Mal says, so matter-of-factly that Carlos doesn't question it at first.

"Wai-wait-wait, what?" he yelps, nearly dropping the phone. He catches it, and his finger presses one of the shining pictures.

"What do you mean, what?" Mal replies, thankfully not noticing his blunder. "You're the only one of us who comes close to understanding all this crap. And if Jay's going to get one for each of us, we'll need you to test it first."

"I'm doing what now?" Jay says, and though it's not quite at the same time as Carlos given he's a few syllables behind, the emphasis is enough.

"Hey, what'd you do?" Mal says, instead of answering, and Carlos looks down to see that the screen now has a small list displayed on it, with the identifier being 'Contacts.'

It was a small list, consisting only of; 'Mom,' 'Dad,' 'Ben,' and 'Audrey.'

"Well I guess this person's clearly a loser, if that's everyone they contact," Mal snorts, and Carlos would have asked what did that make them, then, since all they had was each other, but then the phone chimed, and he dropped it for real.

It landed with a dull thmp on the floor, and an odd chorus of alarmed noises went up as Carlos dropped down to pick it up. It seemed unharmed, thankfully, but he wasn't going to be able to keep it if he kept dropping it like that. He pointedly ignores Mal's warning glare, and clicks a button to make the screen light up again. On it is a tiny (1) above the envelope, and it doesn't take long to figure it out.

"Um…this person just got a mmmessage," he whispers, blinking nervously up at the group.

"Open it," Mal prompts immediately, and he jerks away, clutching the phone tightly.

"I can't do that!" he hisses, feeling his face flush red. "It's private!"

"It's your phone, dude," Jay laughs, and Carlos feels the embarrassing warmth spread across his cheeks.

"But…" he whispers, then blinks as the phone dings and a (2) appears above the envelope. "Ffuck," he mumbles, and clicks it.

He frowns, staring at the words a moment, then the name that appears above them. "It's…Audrey's?" he says, then blinks and reads the words again. "Oh wait….she's the one con-con-con-tacting this person!"

"Oh, it's like the radios we used to use!" Evie gasps, and her eyes are almost as bright as Mal's in her excitement. "But you know, obviously more fancy."

"Hm," Mal hums, and Carlos realizes she's waiting for _him._

"Oh it…" he falters, then hands the phone to her sheepishly. "Ccan you?"

She takes it without hesitation, a wicked smirk on her face as she scans the screen before clearing her throat in exaggeration.

"'Hey,'" she reads, and Carlos rolls his eyes at the self-importance in her voice. "'Just wanted to say thanks again for last night. It really means a lot to have you.'"

"Well," Evie croons, and her voice is low with scandal. "Auradon just more interesting."

"The second one says 'to talk to,'" Mal continues, lips twitching wickedly. "'It means a lot to have you to talk to.' And that's it."

"Aw, now I feel like shit," Jay mumbles, and Carlos manages to stop blushing just long enough to register surprise as he takes the phone back from Mal.

"Why?"

"Because if I'd waited just a little longer we could've had this person's response," Jay pouts, crossing his arms. "Then it would've been _really_ fun."

"W-w-well that decides it," Carlos mumbles, and he presses buttons until he finds one that looks promising: shaped like a tiny gear. He clicks it, and is relieved when he finds a new list, labelled 'Settings.'

"What are you doing?" Mal snaps, and he ignores her, flipping through the list and changing things until he's satisfied.

"Changing the phone sso it's empty…," he drawls, then displays the now cleared messages. "Nnow it's like a new phone, so no-no-no more 'fun.'"

"Lame," Jay booes, and Carlos bares his teeth in a silent growl.

"It'll be more than just lame if you made it so we can't look for things on it," Mal actually growls, and he shakes his head so fast it hurts.

"No it's ook," he assures quickly, clicking the AuraWeb picture. "I think th-this is the search thing so…."

As if to sense his distress, the phone is quick to display a new picture, of Auradon Castle, with a white bar at the top labeled 'search.'

He starts to type, then stops. He wonders briefly, if this thing was supposed to have access to all kinds of information…. Trying to disguise his actions, he vows to find a way to clear searches as well before typing 'Ceran de Vil' in the search bar. His heart hammers in time with each letter as it fills the bar, his stomach twisting painfully as he tries to ignore the memories flashing through his head of tiny spaces and pain. After a moment of watching the castle spin (which would have been cool in other circumstances), a page of text appears.

At the top are the words 'Sorry, we couldn't find anything. Did you mean…?' Carlos doesn't know whether to laugh his relief or sob it as his eyes flicker over the results on the page; all various things related to 'Cruella de Vil' and 'Dalmatians' and 'fearsome son Carlos de Vil causes chaos in Auradon' (which definitely brings a laugh) and 'sentenced to the Isle of the Lost twenty years ago' and 'rumored lover seen fleeing-' and 'the fashion empire and animal rights activists' worst nightmare' and….what.

Carlos stares at the last line, not quite sure what those words meant. Objectively speaking, he knew what those words _were_ as separate entities…but all together like that? It didn't make sense. It didn't make sense because Cruella had never had a 'lover' never spoke of…of….

"Did you get lost in whatever magic portal they have in there?" Jay's taunt jerks him back into awareness, and he nearly throws the phone he jumps so hard.

"Whu-what?" he gasps, and he realizes when he draws a breath just how hard he's been shaking.

"You ok?" Mal asks, eyes suspicious as they flicker to the phone, which he has just enough mind to tilt so she can't see the words he'd nearly clicked on. "What did it say about the museum?"

"Rrright," he mumbles, fidgeting anxiously and resisting the urge to wipe his hands on something. "Sorry, got distr…sorry."

He grimaces as he fumbles over the words, not even trying to finish and hoping he simply came across as mesmerized by the technology. Admittedly, he was, and one of the first things he was planning on doing was taking apart the phone and putting it back together again to see how it worked.

 _'Rumored lover seen fleeing….'_

Ok so the second thing.

"Museum is…two-two-two point three miles from here," he mumbles jerkily, biting his lip.

"Shit that's…" Mal rolls her eyes upwards, her own lips forming a thin line, and Carlos runs his fingers over the smooth letter keys of the phone in an attempt for calm.

"We have an hour and a half," Mal mumbles her thoughts aloud, and Carlos has to sit because he thinks his body will explode with the need to _do_ something about this sudden information if he doesn't. "That's about how long I figure for anyone to notice or care if we've left the school."

"Um…" Jay says, raising his hand like he's in Fairy Godmother's classroom.

"Which means we'll only have about twenty minutes give or take, to find and get the wand and then get out…. But then we need to get it to the Isle…or maybe we can just get the barrier down? But that won't do anything because _she_ needs the wand and…."

"Um," Jay says again, waving his hand obnoxiously. "You kinda missed a calculation there, Mal; that's a forty five minute walk at _least_. How do you figure an hour and a half, and twenty minutes for the wand…we're only going to have ten."

"No," Mal draws out slowly, and though her eyes flash green her voice is deliberately calm. "Thirty five minutes there and back- twenty for the wand."

"So you're just expecting us to somehow shave off ten whole minutes of travel time? How are we supposed to….you know what I'm gonna stop talking now."

Carlos misses the look Mal shoots Jay, but he knows it's frustration that rumbles as a groan in her throat as she tilts her head back suddenly.

"Fuck, we're gonna have to do a practice run," she groans, her hands like pale highlights in her purple stained hair. "We're gonna have to a practice run and we still have to figure out some kind of romance-love thing for Ben which is really going to fun…."

"Well hey," Jay offers with more or less an encouraging lilt. "If anyone can manage that it's our Evie."

Evie's lips quirk upwards almost shyly, but there's something about her eyes that don't quite match it.

"Yeah well duh," Mal mutters, rolling her eyes. When they land on Evie Carlos can see something…not quite 'soft' but muted in them. "I don't doubt E can work out some kind of potion or spell…I'm just trying to figure out how _I'll_ manage."

There's a beat long enough where Carlos recognizes that there'd been something awkward about Mal's words, but he doesn't place it until Evie looks stunned and Jay snorts.

"Wait, _you_? Ben?" Jay snickers, and Mal scowls sharply, looking vaguely offended.

"Is there a problem with that?" she growls, and even Carlos has to press his lips together to hide his own amusement.

"No offense, Mal," Jay says lightly, though to Carlos it's almost delicately. "But you don't like guys. You don't like girls…you don't like _people_. How exactly are you planning on 'relationshipping' with Ben?"

"Well I don't suppose you have any other candidates in mind?"

Carlos shoots Jay a panicked look and finds it reflected right back at him. It might have been comical if it weren't for the fact that he didn't think Mal was joking, and that even a single word to point out the obvious would end…badly, to say the least. Evie's jaw was tight, though the rest of her face betrayed no emotion, and that alone was all it took for clarification.

"Wait, _E_?" Mal asks, and the high pitch of incredulity causes the rest of Evie's face to harden, even as color tinges her cheeks.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" the other asks it quietly, but there's no mistaking the challenge in her voice. In her eyes.

Carlos would have liked to say he was glad to see the fire back in her eyes after so long of seeing her subdued- submissive. But not like this…he thinks, eyeing the literal fire lighting in Mal's eyes, the gritting of her teeth in a snarl. Not quite like this.

"Are you seriously telling me you never considered it, though?" Jay counters in Evie's place, and Carlos groans softly and inches back away from the conflict on instinct.

"I did consider it," Mal retorts bluntly, her shoulders squaring in that way she did when she faced any kind of challenge on the Isle. It meant she wasn't moving; wasn't going to yield for anything and you'd be better off continuing on your way than trying to fight through her. "It was the first thing I considered and I did it for all of two seconds before changing ideas immediately."

 _Ouch._ Carlos stiffens, a quiet sucking of air between his teeth the only reaction he'll let himself have. And here he was thinking things were getting better.

"Wow, ok," Jay blinks, and his hands clench and unclench at his sides. He's feeling it too, Carlos knows. But he also knows not act on it so the repetitive action remains, the tension spilling through in the grinding of his knuckles.

"And why is that?" Evie asks, and it's so quiet now that the challenge is nearly missed. But Carlos wasn't stupid no matter what his mother had said, and he knows Evie well enough to know that when she got quiet like that it was never a good sign.

"Do you really want me to say it?" Mal's voice drops, and it's not quiet so much as _low_ …a deep rumble that matches the depth in the darks of her eyes.

"No I think I've got a pretty good understanding of the situation," Evie replies, lifting her chin to counter the wet glint in her own eyes.

"No you don't," Mal murmurs, and her voice reaches a quiet that belies the lingering fire in her eyes. "But it's ok because you don't have to. I do, and that's all that matters."

Carlos jumps at that last hiss, fingers clenching the phone on a nervous reflex. Evie barks a sharp sound that is disproportionate parts laugh and sob, and she's on her feet and turning away…turning to flee…. And in the same beat freezes as Mal's hand closes around her wrist. Carlos can't see either girl's face from where he huddles on the floor, but he can see the twitch of pain in Evie's fingers; can trace the lines of tension from Mal's shoulders to her toes; can see the way Evie's body curls in on itself, anticipating pain but not from Mal.

"Hey Jay," Carlos wobbles shakily to his own feet. "Wh-why don't we go get food? We can ffind muffins that aren't soggy."

"I mean, soggy muffins aren't all that bad," Jay mumbles, but he's all too eager to take Carlos up on his excuse to leave.

Carlos quickly tucks the phone between his two (fucking _two_ ) mattresses, vowing to return to it as soon as he could. To take it apart of course. But in the meantime…he was going to see about finding that Arandelle official Ben had mentioned. For the safety of the group, of course. If he knew about Ceran maybe he knew other things…. Carlos casts a quick look over his shoulder as he slips out the door, and he just catches the edge of the tension in the angles of the girls' faces. Then he's off with Jay, idly wondering if his new phone would have anything useful to deal with the aftermath of emotional and potentially physical explosions. Somehow, he doubted it.

* * *

 **Mal**

She knows that Carlos' bid for muffins was just a poor excuse to leave, but at the moment she can't bring it in herself to care.

"Let go, Mal." Evie's voice is dark, but it's still just a hollow rasp of sound.

"No," Mal snaps back, letting her own voice retain its edge. She knows what will happen if she lets go. "Look at me."

"You're hurting me," Evie says instead, staying resolutely turned away, and Mal is hyper aware of the way her head drops; the curve of her shoulders even more pronounced.

Mal looks to where she's gripping the others girl's arm, notes that while her hand isn't tight, her fingers trail uncomfortably close to the edge of the now fresh scars. Without pausing, Mal fluidly adjusts her grip so her fingers are entwined with Evie's, not losing contact for a second. Evie makes a low noise in her throat like she might have protested, but Mal wasn't about to let it be vocalized.

"Look at me. Right now, Eve."

Evie flinches, sucking a sharp breath of air at the command in her voice (at the _name_ ). But she turns- jaw tight and eyes downcast, but she _turns_ and that's all that matters. Mal adjusts her grip to accommodate the change in position, and moves the fingers of her free hand to gently massage circles over and around the marks on Evie's arms.

"You said that I was the first person to see you, well, you were the first person to let me. Keep letting me see."

"You say that _now_ ," Evie whispers, though it's a snarl in the curl of her lips, pain tight in her body. "You'll say anything _now_ , and never…talk."

"What like Auradon talk?" Mal fires back, containing the rage to light in her eyes only, her hands firm but gentle as they continue to trace new patterns across Evie's skin. "All 'your feelings were hurt' and I say 'sorry' and regret everything? That kind of talk?"

Evie stiffens, pulling back against her hands, and even with her face cast down Mal can see the way it twists further at her words.

"Because if that's the kind of talk you're looking for then you're right, I'm not going to do it. I don't have anything that I regret saying."

Evie tries to jerk away again, but Mal holds firm and moves her hand to lift Evie's chin, forcing her to meet her eyes.

"I regret that you were hurt," Mal says slowly, shifting her fingers quickly to brush the tears from Evie's eyes before they fall. "But I meant everything I said. I _did_ consider it, E…thought about you being the one for Ben. Of all of us of course you're the obvious choice."

"There's a pause in there," Evie mutters, lips quirking bitterly, eyes still damp despite Mal's efforts. "This is the part where you bring up the mirror. Go ahead then." She lifts her chin as though steeling against a blow, and Mal feels the air leave her lungs more forcefully than she'd anticipated, something like a laugh and a cry all at once.

"Is that - Hades, of course it's what you think," Mal whispers, another breathy noise escaping her as she shakes her head, mystified. "Evie I am not _punishing you_ for the mirror."

She knows she's nailed it because the other girl's eyes drop again, her shoulders bowing under an entirely different weight.

"Evie…" Mal begins with a sigh, but the girl flinches and she knows she can't do it like that. "What do think will happen, if you were the one for Ben?" She says instead, and though Evie remains silent, a fraction of the pain leaves her shoulders. "It would be perfect, of course; you'd manipulate him to our side easily, and he'd adore you- how could he not? You'd get your prince and there'd probably be enough kingdom left for your mother to have a square of when my mother finishes her rampage."

That earns a flicker of a laugh, and Mal hates the next words that come out of her mouth all the more for it.

"He'd be your prince, E, and that means everything that it comes with. He'd be all chivalrous I'm sure, but there's still that _expectation_ …."

She pauses. She wants to pause for longer, wants to take back every word, every hurt that made up this truth but it's inevitable.

She knows Evie gets it because it's not so much a flicker as it is a blaze that stiffens every muscle in her body. Her hands tremble in fists at her sides and Mal reaches for one again in a vain bid for comfort, pressing her palms gently around the other girl's fingers until they uncurl.

"And you think you'd deal with it any better?" Evie says, bitterness sour in her voice, and Mal can feel the pain her words bring as a tight grimace in her own brow.

"It's not about who's better it's about keeping you safe," Mal snaps, as hotly as she can while still maintaining some control over her emotions; her stomach clenching at the very idea of putting Evie back into that situation. "Whatever comes of this I'll deal; but he'd have to touch you, E, and…"

"And what good is a whore that can't be bought, right?"

"That is not what I said, don't you fucking _dare_ put those words in my mouth!" The fire spills out into her eyes again, sparks snapping across the backs of her knuckles with the force of her snarl.

Evie, for her part, doesn't flinch, but the few tears that do fall pop dangerously against the spark of Mal's magic.

"You don't need to," she says softly, a smile on her face that doesn't reach her eyes -her eyes that still don't meet Mal's. "It's been made up for."

The implication…the _meaning_ behind Evie's words hit like a physical blow, and Mal sucks in a breath that wants to be something stronger.

"Remind me to tell my mother to have Grimhilde meet with an unfortunate incident at some point when she takes over," Mal mutters darkly, and her words spur a sudden laugh from Evie that is genuine even with its sharpness.

"Plotting to murder my horrendous mother," Evie mumbles, eyes just a bit brighter- eyes that finally _finally_ meet hers. "Who said chivalry doesn't exist on the Isle?"

"And I will remind _you_ ," Mal continues firmly, bringing a hand up to place a kiss on Evie's palm. "However many times it takes, that you are more than what she said you are. You're one of _mine_ , E. That's what matters."

"You'd better watch it, Mal," Evie says, and the laugh spills into her eyes, effectively cutting through the remaining darkness. "You're starting to sound like Auradon with all that sentiment."

 _"Is that sentiment? I thought you were better than that."_

 _"Not by a long shot, little dragon."_

Oh…Mal blinks, pausing with Evie's hand still wrapped in hers. "Shit, _this_ is what she meant by 'also,' isn't it?"

"What?" Evie asks, and Mal shakes her head, fingers trailing idly over the back of Evie's knuckles.

"Nothing." _Fucking **everything**. _ She says it quickly, carefully adjusting her expression to not betray her…what was it? Realization seemed a lackluster word for….

"Nothing?" Evie repeats, and damn if she wasn't going to drag this out by being all coy.

"I was just thinking that we should probably join the boys and make sure they get the right muffins."

Evie scoffs, rolling her eyes, but there's a genuine ease now that hadn't existed between them for a while.

"He wasn't very subtle about that, was he?" the other girl murmurs, and her eyes flicker with something too quickly for Mal to interpret. But it definitely doesn't take much for her to interpret the way she steps back, her hand slipping from Mal's as her chin dips down. The loss of the physical connection was…something, and Mal crosses her arms to keep the urge to lift Evie's chin at bay.

"E," she says instead, and Evie inhales a breath like a sigh, her eyes reluctantly making contact again.

"I don't-" she begins, and Mal's eyes flash because she knows exactly what the girl was going to say and she thought she'd made things more than clear.

"If the next words out of your mouth aren't 'I hope Carlos found a blueberry muffin' I swear…." she lets her threat trail off vaguely because they both know that Mal would never truly harm Evie, or any of her crew.

Evie chuckles the remainder of her sigh, her lips just barely quirking upwards. "I hope Carlos found a blueberry a muffin," she repeats dutifully, but Mal can see the spark of genuine hope in her eyes that belies her sarcasm.

"Well let's go find out then," Mal replies, and a much fuller bark of laughter slips past Evie's lips in response. It wasn't polite or princess-y in any way, but it was _Evie's_ and hearing her laugh like that after so long a silence- that alone, Mal decides, was worth any potential existential crises.

* * *

 **Ben**

One breakfast, he thinks to himself as he presses his forehead blearily against the white wall. It's just one breakfast. And then a meeting. And another after that. Maybe some classes if he was lucky enough to escape. And then one more meeting for good measure, just because various royals seemed intent on trying his already worn patience. Ben tries to just breathe, but when he cracks open an eye and dares to turn it towards his destination, his stomach clenches all over again.

The VKs would be behind that door.

Ben groans and clenches his eyes tight, his forehead thumping as he bangs it against the wall. Maybe if he bashed a little harder…. But of course he wasn't supposed to think like that. He was the Prince, after all, and he had more than just one kingdom looking to him. And it was _his decree_ , as everyone was so fond of reminding him. It might have been his decree but it wasn't his mess that he was trying to clean up. The Council had all but thrown themselves at him when he'd dared to bring that up in their latest meeting; that all of the problems they were seeing from the VKs now, all the mess from the Isle, had been their doing in the first place.

And now this latest development. He groans again, turning to sink in a miserable heap, the wall at his back the only thing keeping him from completely keeling over. He doesn't know how the rest of the VKs are going to take it but he knows for a fact that Mal was going to be _pissed_. More than she already was. It was bad enough that his stupidity had caused her to view him as a threat to her group, but this? Gods, he was so dead. He was going to be assassinated by the daughter of Maleficent and while a part of him thought what a way to go, the other part kept imagining the various wars and conflict that would bring about.

"Which is why I'm just not going to say anything," Ben quips to himself aloud. "We've seen how well me talking without thinking has worked out so now I'm thinking without talking."

At least the hallway was empty, everyone already inside and enjoying their normal breakfasts, their normal conversations and worries. Normal lives. Not for the first time Ben feels the hollow pang in his stomach at the fact that he was 'the Prince' and was destined to be isolated from that normalness even though he and his 'subjects' went to the same school.

"Ugh, I really don't want to do this," Ben mumbles, grimacing as he eyes the door again. But he really had no choice in the matter. He could put it off, of course. But the whole kingdom might burn down in the wake of Mal's rage if she found out how long he'd held off for.

Fuck, he thinks. And then, because his current crimes didn't already condemn him enough:

"Fuck," he says out loud, hefting himself up and leaning his weight against the door. "And yeah, I'm never saying that again, but the situation called for it."

The door opens, and the first thing he's struck with is just how calm everything seems to be given that his world was ending. The second, when he actually makes it into the room, is that Mal and Evie are sitting at the same table as Chad, Audrey, Jane, Lonnie, and Doug are, and while he doesn't know where Jay and Carlos are, he knows they're also sharing the table by the two other trays placed on Mal's left.

"I'm dead," Ben mutters, his feet heavy as they slog over to the table. "I've died, this is it….I'm dead and my brain is just conjuring up positive scenarios to help me cope with whatever comes after."

This last part, he realizes too late, was said just loud enough that he is heard by the table, and a variety of amused, worried and shocked faces greet him. The amusement at least, had come from Mal and Evie, so he guesses that's a plus?

"Sorry," Ben mumbles, feeling his face heat as he sinks into his chair beside Audrey. "I guess I was just surprised to see you guys at our table. I didn't uh…didn't think you'd actually join us."

Evie's amused smirk widens, and Mal lifts a brow, her eyes unreadable as she take a bite of scrambled egg.

"I'm just surprised that I wasn't offended by that," she replies coolly, and he reddens further, sinking into his seat a bit more. So much for thinking without talking.

"You ok?" Audrey whispers, and he manages to conceal his own surprise at the genuine concern in her voice. The last time she'd spoken to him it had been a week ago, and she'd been telling him that he would never understand her.

"Yeah," he manages to whisper back, his voice breaking. "Just tired of all these meetings."

She scoffs a breathy laugh of understanding, her eyes warm where he'd grown to expect cold. She slips her hand into his and he almost jumps he's so caught off guard.

"Are you sure I haven't died?" he finds himself blurting, and just like that Audrey's hand is gone; that scarily familiar coldness back in her eyes as they flick in the direction of the VKs, and he realizes that the warmth it had been just like all her other expressions- a front.

Fuck.

"Well I don't know about death, but you're definitely going to starve if you don't get something to eat," Mal quips, crunching through a piece of toast. "Wait, can I say that joke?"

She looks to Evie, green lighting in her eyes, and Evie looks as if she's trying to glare at her, but her lips fight too hard to curl into a grin.

"I don't see why not," she murmurs back, her own eyes bright with mischief. "We've got the experience to back it up, after all."

Doug shifts uncomfortably in his seat, no doubt recalling the conversation he'd had with Ben all those weeks ago; about how the Isle had no food so it was small surprise the VKs had looked as though they'd been starving.

"You guys have no sense of humor," Mal whines, when no one else says anything.

"Ha," Chad deadpans, head turned pointedly away. "Ha ha."

"Asshole," Mal growls to the back of his head, and Ben sees a muscle in Chad's cheek twitch briefly, as if...as if he'd been about to smile.

"Sorry Ben," Evie finally says, and though the amusement remains in her eyes, the rest of her expression is genuine. "I hope it didn't seem like we were joking at your expense."

"If anything, it was ours, really," Mal mutters through a mouthful of…something. "But yeah, sorry. If it were me, I'd hate to be stuck in a room full of ignorant royals too."

"Hey Charming, she was talking to you," Jay's voice drawls suddenly from Ben's right. "I thought it was rude and junk to ignore people when they talked to you."

Chad sighs heavily, his head turning as the other half of VKs approach, and Ben realizes that that was why he'd been looking away. He'd been watching Carlos, who pauses in his argument with Aziz just long enough to roll his eyes in Jay's direction. Nikki just shakes his head and plops himself down on Lonnie's left, the remaining boys following suit, with Aziz to his boyfriend's left; leaving Carlos sandwiched between Aziz and Jay, his hands wrapped around a steaming cup; Jay sprawling easily in his chair to Mal's right. Mal, for her part, narrows her eyes at the seating arrangement, gaze flashing between Carlos and Aziz with a hint of caution.

"Ok I missed something," Ben blurts, head roaming back and forth between the table's occupants. "I must have missed the silent pact to suddenly stop hating each other."

"Oh no we still hate each other," Aziz says seriously, head nodding in Jay's direction.

"Yeah no, I can't stand the guy," Jay echoes, and he scowls for all of two seconds before snickering.

"Aw and you ruined it!" Aziz cries, but he's laughing too, and Mal settled back into her chair, her eyes relaxing from their glare.

"Speak for yourself," Jay scoffs, and he goes to cross his arms before starting suddenly. "Oh right- E, here." And he reaches across the table and deposits a small, slightly squished muffin on Evie's tray.

"Jay, I can't believe you actually did it!" The girls squeals delightedly, and Mal's expression softens further into something vaguely pleased.

"Of course I did," Jay retorts, completing his aborted gesture and crossing his arms cockily. "I told you I'd find a blueberry muffin and I did."

"Um, _I_ fu-fu-found it," Carlos mutters, somehow jabbing his elbow into Jay's side without jostling the cup. "And Mmal, I found…I found ththis."

He places the cup on Mal's tray, and Ben catches the familiar, rich scent of what can only be-

"The best coffee Auradon has to offer," Aziz brags in Carlos' place, grinning broadly.

"Carlos you fucker!" Mal crows, and her eyes light up again- though thankfully, Ben notes, not with magic green fire this time.

"That one's not an insult," Aziz states, brows lifting proudly. "See, I'm learning!"

Mal lifts her head from the cup to glare sharply at him, and dutifully quiets down, picking inconspicuously at his own pile of eggs. Mal instantly goes back to the coffee, lifting it to her nose and inhaling slowly. The contentment on her face snaps to suspicion so fast Ben almost doesn't catch it. She takes a sip and the suspicion changes from betrayal to outright resentment.

"This is not coffee, what the fuck is this shit?" she growls, and Jane chokes into her orange juice.

"It's coffee," Jay confirms, taking the cup from her and drinking a mouthful himself. "They make it different here, without mud. Get this, they even put extra stuff into it to make it taste better."

"Better?" Mal hisses, eyes dark and almost mournful as Jay finishes the rest of the coffee.

"People have different tastes," Lonnie offers carefully, patting Jane on the back and offering her a napkin. "Not everyone likes…"

"I _like_ coffee just fine," Mal growls, and there was that fire Ben hadn't missed. "That is not…."

"Just try this and shut up about it already!" Chad snaps, plunking his own untouched coffee onto Mal's tray. Some of it splashes onto the surface, leaving a miniature steaming puddle of dark liquid.

"Yeah right, you probably poisoned it or something in some pitiful revenge plot," Mal grumbles, but there's no true malice in her voice, which just further solidifies Ben's belief that he wasn't actually experiencing this.

"There's nothing in the coffee," Chad growls right back, and though his jaw is tight, his eyes are surprisingly neutral.

"Why is it a different color?" Mal retorts fiercely, tilting the cup and pointedly spilling more black into the puddle.

"Because _that_ one had stuff in it!" Chad huffs, gesturing with a flat palm towards the now-empty cup on Jay's tray. He freezes like that, hand still outstretched, and Ben watches a variety of emotions flicker through his eyes, all along the lines of guilt, panic and concern. There's a beat where Mal gives him a dubious look, then Chad lets his hand fall back by his side, shaking his head as he shoves himself up from the table.

"You know what? Screw it- drink the coffee or don't, it really doesn't matter to me. Don't know why I even tried…."

He's storming off from the table before Ben can decide how he feels about the interaction, and Mal flips off his retreating back. Beside him, Audrey barely makes a sound as she rises, and there's another odd beat where she follows after Chad. It takes Ben a moment to realize this beat was because he wasn't following her, hadn't protested her absence. But what would be the point? If she was right about one thing it was that he didn't understand her fear; the only way he _could_ understand was through talking, and she'd made it clear that talking wasn't an option right now. So he stays silent in his seat, and after a moment, Mal takes a drink of the new coffee.

"Ok," she says, much more at ease than he felt. "This one's better. But still…I don't know it's just. Missing something…."

"Told 'ou ith mithing the mud," Jay mumbles through some French toast, wiping his fingers on his pants before reaching towards Mal's plate- the source of the pastry.

"Goblins knew how to make coffee," Mal agrees wistfully, and Ben isn't sure he wants to know if this was another not-joke at their expense. "But I guess this isn't half bad either."

"Well I'm glad you've finally got your coffee tastes settled," Aziz says, dark eyes glinting even as he eyes the dark coffee with mild distaste. "Cuz you're gonna need a lot of it if you're gonna meet my dad. He does tend to talk…"

* **clnk** *

Jay yelps as Mal's fork just barely misses his fingers, jerking his hand back sharply with a sour look. Mal doesn't miss a beat, just spears a piece of toast possessively, green eyes dark as they turn from Jay to glare at Aziz.

"What did you say?"

Ben lowers his head into his hands, wishing that Aziz's voice would do more than just muffle; wishes that he'd never opened the dining hall's door in the first place.

"I said my dad is kinda hyper and likes to talk a lot, so you'll need a lot of coffee if you're going to-"

"Meet. Him?" Mal repeats, and for all her magic fire, her voice could still turn to ice with ease.

"Wait, Ben…you didn't….ooh. You didn't tell them yet."

The realization falls flat in Aziz's voice, and Ben begrudgingly lifts his head to meet that oh so familiar fire of Mal's eyes.

"Didn't tell us what, Ben?"

Ben takes a breath, but only that because even though he'd like to hesitate for longer, he's certain he'd be a pile of charred ash if he tried.

"The Council wants to meet you guys," he says, not slowly (Mal's anger didn't allow for _slow_ right now) but definitely cautiously. "To uh, talk about the Isle and…see how you've been adjusting to Auradon."

For a second, all he receives is stunned silence and stunned faces. And then Mal blinks, and Ben braces himself for the end.

"I'm sorry," she says, and her eyes drop briefly in reflection before snapping up again. "Could you repeat that? I just wanted to make sure Chad didn't actually poison the coffee cuz for a second there I thought you said that the Council of Auradon wants to meet us."

"I did," Ben says, somehow managing to keep his head high despite the way his insides twisted.

"You…are you fucking serious?" Mal snaps, and he's morbidly impressed that although her hands light with fire, it hadn't yet spread to instantly kill him. "Our parents' enemies?"

"Uh-"

"I know what I fucking said," she bites across Doug's half-hearted moan of protest, her eyes still resolutely burning into Ben's soul.

"Our parents' enemies want to sit and what? Talk about the Isle?" Her chin lifts, and the fire dies from her hands long enough to graze them along the backs of her group. "Talk about _us_ , you mean….our pasts- which I thought I made pretty clear _weren't to be touched_!"

The dining hall went quiet- or had it already been and he was only noticing now that Mal's voice was echoing about the place? Mal sighs, throwing her head back in exasperation, fingers gripping tightly to Jay and Evie's shoulders.'

"How the hell am I supposed to-? Fucking Hades below, Ben you don't _think_ , do you?"

"That seems to be the recurring trend," he mumbles jerkily, somehow still standing- still meeting her eyes. "But I think the other recurring trend is that I care about you guys. I wouldn't have-"

"Care?!" Mal nearly shrieks, and Carlos shrinks a bit in his seat, Jay and Evie quickly shifting their positions so their arms and hands wrapped firmly around Mal's arms and shoulders. "You can't say that you care about what happens to us when you keep putting us in danger!"

"The Council isn't dangerous," Ben actually snaps, and regrets it instantly. The look Mal shoots him is enough to end his life far more effectively than any fire or knife.

"A room full of a bunch of self-righteous assholes who murdered our parents and then brought them back to life to serve an eternal jail sentence; those same smug _bastards_ who left hundreds of children to be tortured and killed and called it 'justice' and 'getting what they deserve' solely based on their parentage?"

Mal's voice breaks, but the fire in her eyes remain, her lips twisting bitterly. "Now you tell me how putting us in that same room isn't dangerous. Tell me now how much you fucking _care_."


	32. Losers weepers (apres moi le deluge) pt2

**Hi my lovelies! About time I got an update going, right?**

 **I'm so profusely sorry about the unintended months long, I promise I'm doing ok, but instead of making excuses I'll just jump into the reviews, yeah?**

* * *

 **narutogirl103: Things are definitely getting intense, and it only gets worse from there so hold on to your hat! :)**

 **Elizabeth Anette : He will most certainly be answering some things, don't you worry. Our Ben's gonna have quite the epiphany/breakdown, haha.**

 **Nyehhhh: Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you love this story so much. I hope this more will make up for the wait!**

 **Time Turner : Yes, the truth! (Or a piece of it, at least...) And Ben didn't forget, he just...was trying to avoid telling them for as long as he could, but of course, he can't really catch a break, can he?**

 **Nix : Not gonna lie, it was partly your nugde that helped get me to push the last bit out and get that chapter up, lol. I'm glad you're liking everything so far and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.**

 **tigerladygamer : Mama bear Mal is definitely going to go at it, (or would mama dragon be the more acurrate term?) Lol. And yes, Carlos hasn't signed in a while, and though he will be a bit more here, there's some development reasons as to why he hasn't that'll start to play out soon. Glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you'll enjoy this one just as much. :)**

 **EvietoyourMal : Glad to hear you enjoyed everything! There's definitely a lot going on with everyone and the Council meeting is going to be no exception. I know this update wasn't exactly 'soon,' but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.**

 **A : There's definitely those moments there, yeah. The Four really haven't learned yet how to truly be close, in the sense of close not just for the sake of survival, and so there's that element of not knowing for all of them, which is really going to start being explored more and I can't wait to dig into! ;)**  
 **And short stories have never been my strong suit, so don't worry, there'll be plenty more for you to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Junior : Thank you for the review and the kind words! Mal definitely tries to put everyone in a box, but it backfires on her when she finds out that sometimes they don't want to be in a box. There's gonna be some more intense moments all around when that happens, honestly, and it's not just going to be Ben pulling the floor away.**  
 **As for the 'also' moment, I was referring to when Audrey and Mal met and talked, and Audrey said that she wasn't surprised at how quickly Mal had started to accept Aziz, because of the Isle life and 'also...' She trailed off, but the implication (and Mal's later revelation) is because of the perceived relationship between Mal and Evie; the way Audrey had seen them interact. So Mal realized that, and is now having a tiny crisis over it. ;)**  
 **I hope I managed to clear things up for you, but feel free to let me know if not and I'll do my best to clarify. :)**

 **ceara1888: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you thought it flowed a bit better this time. I hope this one goes the same and that you'll enjoy it just as much.**

 **Guest 2.0 : Haha, thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad to see I'm succeeding with my ships and that you're catching on to Mal/Daisha. There's definitely gonna be more flashback for that as well. And I'm also glad you enjoyed my Mal and Evie interactions. I had fun with those. ;) They all deserve the world, honestly, though the way they're going about getting it might not be ideal for Auradon. But regardless, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Descendants5HLM : Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you're loving Daisha so much...she's definitely a bad ass and for sure one of my favorite Isle ocs so far. You're definitely not wrong to have Isle trust issues, lol, though maybe don't be so quick to assume the worst about the Huns. (At least not yet ;))**  
 **As for Chad and Audrey, I agree with you 100%, which is also why I made sure to put in that Chad isn't completely comfortable with it as well. They might not be 'cheating' in any physical sense, but he knows that there's more to it for Audrey than just 'talking' either. He's trying, our Charming is, but it's definitely a complicated and dangerous game all around.**  
 **I'm glad you enjoyed the Mal and Evie interactions. It's definitely interesting to see because here's Evie just starting to realize that she wants to strike out and be her own person not just under the shadow of her mother, whereas with Mal, that's all she's ever known and she can't fathom anything else for herself (at least not at this time. She has her valid reasons, but they have yet to be revealed...)**  
 **And Ben is definitely the one that can't get a break right now, isn't he? He's trying but he most certainly won't hold out for long. Poor boy's gonna snap.**

 **rebecahl97 : Welcome to the story and thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far, even with the unideal situations, haha. Mal definitely is trying to look our for her crew, thinking that if she puts them all in a box they'll be safe but she hasn't quite figires out yet that they don't really want to be safe in a box, lol. Ben will be growing, though he's already starting to realize that he can't keep looking at things through his fairytale lenses and has to put on some grown up glasses if he wants to make things work.**

 **All will be revealed in time, either through backstories or other means, and I hope you'll stick around and keep reading and enjoying! :)**

 **Gracfully: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it and I hope you'll like this one just as much. :)**

 **Aeonia- DA : Haha, thank you for the review and the kind words. Though it's never my intetnion to truly cause any of you distress, I do consider it a mission accomplished if I've managed to make you emotional in some way. So I'm glad I was able to make you emotional, although I do sincerely apologize if it was a little too much.**  
 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **how you make the color blue : Welcome to the story and thank you for the review and kind words! I'm really glad you're enjoying everything I've come up with so far. I have a vague idea of pairings I want to do, haha, although I will say I think you are the first (that I've seen) to ship Chad/Mal. Not sure if that's the direction I'll go but I gotta say, it'd definitely be intriguing, lol.**

 **I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Miss Brunette Barbie : Welcome welcome and thank you so much for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying all my little character developments, I've definitely been enjoying pushing Ben's boundaries and fleshing him out more cuz I did love him so much in the movies but he just wasn't quite 'real' haha. As for the pairings I'm going with something a little different for Ben and Mal...following the canon to some extent but not with the Bal pairing in mind (much to the heartbreak of many...) As far as Jay/Lonnie I'm for sure going that route as I agree, they're very evenly matched and they fit well together. In terms of everything else, I'm still playing around with it...some plot and character developments have definitely changed things and the vague idea I have in mind is definitely making an impact. (I have a feeling there will be more broken hearts, lol)**

 **Regardless, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Shiro Dayn : Greetings and thank you for leaving a review! Your English is just fine, I promise. I've seen worse from 'native' English speakers so you have nothing to fear. ;) It's amazing to see how far my story has reached. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

 **Guest : Hey, thank you so much for the kind words! I wasn't sure about if you reviewed before either (unless you're Junior in which case, hello again Junior!) but I just wanted to say thank you for the review and I'm glad you enjoy my story and writing so much. I promise this fic is not abandoned, things just got really busy/crazy but it always helps to know that there are people who enjoy the story and are waiting for more. :) I hope you'll keep reading (and reminding) and enjoying! :D**

 **Fiona : Welcome and thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story, although it does suck to hear about your teacher. I'm sorry about that. Sometimes people are ignorant and it's up to us to just keep pushing on and living in spite of what they think. :)**  
 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **WolvesRock14 : Glad to see you're all caught up! Just in time for an update, right? I'm definitely considering expanding some of those one offs, though it wouldn't be till after this one is done since I kinda have story commitment issues, haha. More like I just start multiple relationships with stories and forget to finish them... But anyway I'm glad you're enjoying everything I've come up with so far, and that I have made you feel for Chad and others. On a personal note I'm also going to say thank you so much for the kind words because it always means a lot to hear that people enjoy my writing not just for the story but also just the writing and my style itself so thank you for that! :) **

**Anyway, back to your review. ;) I'm glad you liked my touch of naming the Wolf. There's also background story reasons as to why I did that; character developments and healing that will definitely be occurring. But I thought it was a fitting touch considering just how creepy the Wolf actually is in the fairytales...yeah... As for the Council well, it's going to be a bit of a slap in the face for everyone, not gonna lie. Lot's of things (and people) go /boom/ to say the least.**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

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 **Author's Note 1:**

 **Ok guys, just a quick blurb from me here. A lot of stuff happened (health stuff, work, classes, family stuff, much needed vacation) although the biggest development was that over this past weekend by laptop crashed. I'm currently writing this from my new laptop (thanks Amazon and 2 day shipping) however, I don't yet know if I'll be able to have the hard drive of my old laptop recovered. Which means that I'd lose...pretty much everything; this entire story up to this chapter, a bunch of other fanfics and actual fics in progress.**

 **So as of now I won't say hiatus, because I just got back from all the chaos and I want to keep writing with what I can, but just...maybe slower updates as I try and figure out technology stuff.**

 **Thanks for understanding, and any thoughts, prayers, good thoughts to the universe etc that you could send for my computer would be appreciated! :)**

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 **Author's Note 2: The real one, this time!**

 *****Warnings*****

 **The warnings for this chapter include the standard; violence and threats of violence, language, some brief homophobia/homophobic slurs/insults; descriptions and implications of child abuse and neglect, as well as implications of and brief (non graphic) threats of assault; gang activity; mild politics; and violence involving children.**

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 **This is where we really start digging in and making changes, that is, character wise and plot development wise, this is the part where everyone's just like screw it all and makes some big, bold and heartbreaking moves, so brace yourself cuz this one gets intense!**

 **It's not all bad, though I promise, and we even get a familiar face or two (wink wink nudge nudge) so I hope you guys enjoy!**

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 **The songs that inspired this chapter are 'Apres Moi' by Regina Spektor (title) Bad Blood' by Bastille, 'Health' by Funeral Suits, 'We Only attack Ourselves' by Funeral Suits** **and 'Hands Down' also by Funeral Suits; as well as, 'Careful' and 'Playing God' by Paramore; 'Disenchanted' and 'I don't love you' by My Chemical Romance; and 'Broken Crown' by Mumford and Sons, and 'Little Lion Man' by Mumford and Sons (specifically the bookshop session).**

 **The last few songs in particular I recommend listening to either along with Ben's POV, or before, just to set the tone, but enjoy as you will. :)**

 **As always, I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 **Isaac**

If you had told the man who had travelled across realms and through magic barriers, who had created and destroyed worlds and all manner of other unbelievable (and perhaps even unspeakable) things, all with just a scratch of a quill that he would one day fall in love and have a child with Cruella de Vil, he would have laughed in your face and claimed it impossible.

Yet here he is some decades (centuries? millennia?) later, staring at that very child, and he's finding it rather hard to look away and pay attention to the words being spoken around him.

"….feel that it's a bit dramatic of you to say that," some royal was mumbling to his left. His fingers twitch on the table, a slight jerk that might go unnoticed given how preoccupied everyone else was. He doesn't need to look to know- his hands so well versed by now- that if he'd had a pen his hand would have spelled out C-H-A-R-M-I-N-G, and his stomach clenches because he'd written so many Charming's; so many slippers and dazzling smiles and chivalrous rage; and he has to force himself to remember that this is not one of his.

"…After all, we have been providing the Isle aid," the man finishes, and the girl with the purple hair scoffs and rolls eyes as green as Forest moss.

His fingers twitch again, an idle line with a vague question mark trailing the end. He doesn't know her, hasn't written her. She's not the one that matters anyway. Nor does the girl with raven-blue hair that has his fingers shaking their way through 'Regina' on the table for some reason; or the tanned youth with an uneasy air that has him muttering 'viper' under his breath.

No, that right was reserved solely for the small boy with pale skin and _lightning-dog-crazy shock-spilled ink_ \- white hair and _his_ freckles! who was fidgeting with something fuzzy on his belt and kept his eyes -his eyes his eyes what color are his eyes?- resolutely on the floor.

[C-A-R-L-O-S.]

His fingers moved fluidly under the table, signing the letters with the ease and speed that only years (decades? centuries? millennia?) of practice could achieve.

"Define 'aid,'" the purple - _'dragon purple'_ his invisible pen scratches out- haired girl spits.

 _'Spits? Green? Fire? Flames? Dragon purple?_ Oh.'

"Oh you must be Maleficent's daughter," he blurts, and his eyes are roving over to 'Regina' and it clicks there too and he sighs his relief at the obvious answer. "Evil Queen, that's why…she'd like you, I think."

He's glad he doesn't have a pen, because the table would surely have been scored to ruins as his fingers none-too-gently scratch over the surface, rewriting this new information.

"Ah-hem."

He jerks, and he realizes that the room is silent, and when he lifts his head he can see people staring at him with wide (and some disgusted) eyes. He blinks at the crowns- they didn't have crowns like that these days in the Forest- oh.

"I did it again, didn't I?" he murmurs, feeling his face flushing with heat, folding his hands carefully on the table and hoping it hadn't been too bad.

"One would almost think you're more disruptive than these villains," a grizzled royal sneers from behind him. His fingers clench tighter together as 'Stefan' flits through his mind. "Any more of these outbursts of yours and you'll-"

"And do you have that authority to dismiss _me_ , sir?" Isaac snaps right back, straightening in his seat and squaring his shoulders. "Royal advisor to the Queen of Arandelle?"

"Who isn't here, I might add," Queen Leila mutters snidely under her breath.

'Yes,' Isaac thinks, narrowing his eyes at the older woman. 'And you should be thanking me for my outbursts; grateful that I insisted on coming in her stead.' If Elsa had gotten her way, he's almost certain there would be no Auradon to speak of, simply a sheet of snow…shit- _'Snow? Snow Queen, ice, mirrors, shards, shatter, glass….glass? Glass slippers, ball….'_

He exhales softly in relief, feeling it tingling only as a dull ache in the back of his head, his thoughts unable to come up with a suitable train to follow 'ball' with. His time imprisoned in his own book had an unfortunate…side effect. They always said that writers had words floating through their heads, just waiting to be plucked up and written down. Well…if he hadn't before he certainly did now, in the uh, very literal sense. For the most part he was fine, but every now and then a word would come along that triggered 'outbursts.'

"Bad enough we have to listen to _this_ though," someone mutters behind him, and he blinks, but there's no familiarity that strikes him. "If she were here, we'd hear nothing but 'Isle sympathy.'"

"That is exactly why I wanted to have this meeting in the first place," the Prince -'Ben, he likes to be called Ben'- suddenly speaks up from the head of the rows of tables. "For you to see and hear for yourselves what the Isle is actually like, and to show you that the children of the Isle deserve to have better lives."

Carlos, Isaac thinks, eyes flickering to the boy -his; my boy **my _son_** \- again. He'd gotten so tall. Certainly not much compared to what surely was a healthy standard, but he'd grown and there was something of a creator about him…his hands…fingers that trailed the length of a simple hooked chain, linking and unlinking the fuzzy thing attached with such intent and precision, even though it looked as if he was only playing. His cheeks weren't as hollow, Auradon's food already doing him good even if he was still a little pale. The shape of his face just like his mother's, her strong jaw and brows; but the curve of his ears, the smirky press of his lips, the curls of his hair dark underneath the shock of white, his freckles….

 _'You're going to smudge the ink,'_ comes the poke from his thoughts, and he blinks, realizes that his cheeks are damp. His eyes continue to trail to Carlos, even as some small debate breaks out around him. He was wearing a pair of faded black shorts, and Isaac feels his lips curling up because even now he can remember the hell the boy had raised the one and only time he'd put him into a pair of pants. The shirt he wore was white (or at least it had been white; now it was an odd beigey color), with no sleeves, and black splotching it almost like spots. Sleeves cover Carlos' arms though, and Isaac realizes it's because he's wearing some kind of button up shirt underneath. He's just about to try and figure out his shoes when he hears:

"…and what of these _alleged_ claims of abuse?"

His head snaps up so fast it hurts, but it's a small twinge compared to the swarm it brings in his mind; the words and memories and sensations so much it's becomes a thick roar in his ears.

"Yeah, I don't know what high horses you're riding, but it needs to kick you off now," Maleficent's daughter sneers, and though it's ferocity in her voice, her eyes flicker, and he knows that flicker. He's written that flicker, seen its origins and its aftermath.

"I beg your pardon?" comes a splutter, and he has to shift back and cross his arms to restrain his fingers from writing across the table again.

"Oh well sure," the girl continues smoothly, and he has a sudden flash of a different Maleficent; with dark horns framed by even darker hair and a dangerous, feral croon. He doesn't remember writing her, but he remembers that croon as it's echoed in this new, smaller form. "If my forgiving you will make you feel better about yourself then yeah…I forgive you."

"Excuse-"

"I forgive you for leaving us to an island full of criminals and thieves and murderers," she says it with a lift of her chin, and he aches again for paper; to scribble the edges of her expression in this moment. "For forcing us to battle for our very survival; for the scraps of clothes and food that you considered trash. For our _parents_."

Her voice lowers over those last words, something like poison; like salt; like sour sour…bitter; **acid**. Something like **acid** on her tongue. Her eyes turn, though her head does not, and Isaac follows her gaze to see them roaming over the tanned boy (viper) and the raven-blue girl (high collars and leather and Regina would love her for sure he knows) and Carlos….his Carlos, and he watches the acid twist her expression as it spills over her lips.

"You keep bringing up that word...like it's something we've invented, or…something that might have existed but died out and you can just dig up its guts to sneer at once in a while."

Her eyes ( _Forest green moss eyes, thorns and flames and_ evil _lime green eyes_ ) turn to glare at the assembled council, and even Isaac feels a chill (Chill? Cold. Elsa. She'll want to know about this) at the sight. That much hatred and pain should not exist in such young eyes.

"But if there has been any abuse, it's what we've suffered by _your_ hand. You were the ones to curse us to that fate to begin with…if anything I'd say that makes you the real villains here."

"Only our hand?" A voice that he doesn't recognize speaks up from the back, and when he turns to look, Isaac is greeted by the sight of an older man; nearly bald aside from the few grey hairs around his ears. The man is wiping a pair of glasses, and when he places them back on his face diamonds mines heigh ho dwarf doctor…Doc.

"Excuse me?" Maleficent's daughter snaps, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. Defensive, maybe? Or just another front for anger?

"I'd say that's more than just a little bold to claim that you've only suffered abuse at our hands, given the records we have that show quite the opposite." He glances down at something in his hand, then back up again, adjusting his spectacles as he does. "Just who is this…'Persian'?"

"That is _not_ something that you need to know." The fury is apparent now in her bright eyes; her voice tight with the force of it. "You should never have known, and you have no right to stand there and claim that you have any sympathy for what we've been through because if you truly 'cared,' you wouldn't have let it happen in the first place!"

"And does what we're trying to do now not make up for that?"

"What, making yourselves feel less guilty by giving us 'help.' So we're expected to feel grateful to you?"

"You're flattering yourself, child," a bored voice drawls, another that Isaac can't recognize. Some prince? Or maybe a king? Sitting next to a woman with faded auburn hair who at least has the decency to look embarrassed by her husband's words. "I realize you're most likely expecting a trap of some kind, but what use do you really think we could have for you?"

There's a sickening lurch of silence, and quite a few sharp intakes of breath, including from the princess? Queen? sitting beside the man who'd spoken. She hisses something…his name, most likely; but Maleficent's daughter was smiling slightly, an odd emotion…relief…in her eyes.

"Well he's not entirely wrong," she mutters. "And anyway, I guess it's nice to know that there are some of you who know how to be honest about things."

The man dips his head to her as if in a bow, and Isaac realizes that his intent had been just that; to reassure that there was no ill intent planned. Then further muttering from his right catches his attention, and it's not the words he cannot hear so much as the tone that causes his breath to stutter in his throat. Maleficent's daughter stiffens so sharply it's almost a flinch; her eyes and hands both catching fire and causing even more royals to shout and recoil.

"Say that again!" she snarls, lips curling back over her teeth. "Say it to my face this time, you fucking coward!"

"Mal!" The boy soon to be king looks horrified, and yet equally helpless, uncertain tension in his body as he debates between moving forward to subdue her or remaining somewhat untargeted and silent.

Then someone stands, and he's too busy trying to interpret the sudden shift backwards that the girl takes to notice who is speaking.

"I simply spoke the truth: that you have nothing to fear in that regard because I doubt any of us here would demean ourselves, or waste any more of our time on-"

"Damaged goods," the girl finishes in a growl, jaw clenched so tightly he can see every ripple of bone and muscle moving underneath. "Which is just, so funny to hear you say because what are all of you then?"

"I don't know what you think you're implying…."

"Well let's see," she interrupts, her voice echoing with shadow and damp and cold and dead light, dead air…death. "We've got some royals who took a hundred year long power nap and woke up in an entirely new point in time. Who else? Oh; some beggar kid who played a clever enough trick to get himself made royalty…."

Indignant cries rose up to meet her words, but she simply raised her voice accordingly and kept going, a vicious and entirely unforgiving tone to her voice.

"Another kid forced to take on the burden of running a kingdom because he got curious about a shiny sword; girl who wanted so badly to be seen and heard that she gave up every part of herself to do just that, and ended up back where she started anyway with no recognition for her troubles… by the way what's your deal with kids? You hate us because you were all kids when horrible stuff was happening to you? I mean…you're just as damaged as we are."

Grizzled royals stand and shout before she can even finish, and though Isaac immediately tries to tune out their words, his fingers twitch feebly beneath his arms, trying to pick out the best parts of the argument, the worst insults and curses to write down. And then he notices it; the villain children have gone tense and silent; shifting into a kind of organized huddle with Maleficent's daughter in the very front; shoulders back and head high even as those Forest green eyes widen with fear.

The viper is to her left and behind her, hands down by his sides in shaky fists. His eyes ( _like tarnished bronze and sands and deserts and carpets and caves_ ) alight with anger and distrust roaming over the standing royals as if trying to determine a pattern. The raven-blue girl is to his right, her own eyes ( _like looking glasses_ …no wait…different blue. _Like reflective pools, taking in everything and showing everything; never able to see to the bottom_ ) wary and sharp, a different pattern already being seen, a soft and deadly tension of some kind building behind them.

And Carlos… _his_ Carlos…is tucked behind them all, small and fearful in that way he had hoped to never see him again. He has the air of something delicate and wild, about to fly away…his eyes ( _his eyes like…like_ ….) scanning the backs of the room in desperation. And then Isaac can't breathe, his arms unfolding, his hands dropping to the table where his fingers immediately start tracing letters and he doesn't need to look to know and wouldn't tear his gaze away even if he didn't know….

Carlos' eyes lock on his (his eyes! Rich, dark eyes; Eyes like Forest earth and Dalmatian brown; like the warmest veins of wood in a certain magic cabinet; like… _his own eyes_ ), and he feels his features fighting to shift into any one expression and ends up flicking through a mix of them all before he freezes, and even his hands go still.

There is no recognition in Carlos' eyes. Those eyes that are just like his own, that he'd wiped tears from and kissed and watched fill with stars when he laughed.

'Carlos.'

His lips form the name but no sound comes out, and a vague flicker crosses the boy's (the boy-his boy- his son's!) face. It's confusion. And fear, he realizes belatedly when his hands resume just long enough to scrawl it out. That some stranger he doesn't know knows his name.

"That is enough!"

The Prince who preferred to be called Ben stood, panting at the front of the room, and Isaac stiffens as his fingers still, the stunned silence of those assembled ringing throughout the room. The boy- no, can he truly be called that, with his eyes (eyes like white ash and clear skies and liquid pools of light) suddenly darkened with fury, his lips curled so viciously that Isaac half-imagines that there are fangs glinting behind them in place of teeth- his anger roils up like a physical wave, and for a moment he is every bit the fairytale Beast. And then he breathes and is a boy again, though the anger is still there, just under the surface of his eyes.

"From the moment I made my decree, I've been questioned and second guessed; accused of trying to destroy Auradon as we know it. But this…this is what is destroying Auradon and I will not stand here and let it continue."

"So you claim, and yet what has this decree of yours accomplished? What have these villains brought except for chaos and ruin? A constant reminder of-"

"Of your failures?" Ben growls, and there's a violent ripple throughout the assembled royals at the sound. "Yes, I can understand how having them here can make you uncomfortable. It's harder to pretend that you didn't do exactly as Mal said and leave however many children to live lives that I feel like I can't even call 'lives.'"

He pauses…hesitates, and in the space of that hesitation a million thoughts and words and voices fight to make themselves known. Isaac dares to look to the children at the center of it all, and though there is no longer that panic, there is still a wary fear in them…except for…Mal, was it? The girl is regarding Ben with some kind of grudge behind her eyes- not quite grateful; not quite respect or trust; it's as if her eyes hold 'I'm not going to say those things, but if I did…'

"I can't claim that I'm completely innocent," the boy prince continues quietly. "My ignorance of just what had been done 'for the sake of the kingdom' meant more time for the cycle to continue. I didn't bring this meeting together to perpetuate that cycle," he says, and his head lifts and those ashen eyes seem to set the very air alight.

"I didn't bring the VKs here to destroy Auradon, I brought them to end the cycle. But I need your help to do that…I need you all to just shut up and listen. And look."

A head turns; he knows because his fingers are moving again, noting the action before he's fully aware of it.

"Are you expecting us to see anything in particular?" A soft, feminine voice asks, and his fingers sketch out a vague blur of words that he doesn't bother interpreting because he already knows what he sees.

"And what's that supposed to mean, your majesty?" The viper hisses, as irreverent and resentful as any disturbed snake.

The woman makes a noise in her throat like a laugh and remains silent, and Isaac turns his head from Carlos just long enough to see the pain twisting Cinderella's expression. He regrets it instantly as he's struck with the images and memories of other Cinderella's, and he vaguely wonders over the one that he wrote about and the life she made in a tiny, hidden town.

"What do you see?" Ben presses in place of reassuring the other boy, and Isaac doesn't need to look to know (his fingers are already moving) that there are tears in the woman's eyes.

"Myself," she whispers lowly, and the Evil Queen's daughter (Grimhilde, he has to remind himself, before his brain can get lost in the flashes of another, darker Queen) scoffs, her lips twitching in some kind of unknown bitterness as she shares a look with Maleficent's daughter.

"And they say only villains have that whole ego thing going," the purple haired girl mutters, loud enough to still be heard clearly. "But I guess I'll take it as some kind of compliment, that you can look at a bunch of villain kids and see yourself."

She smirks as if in victory, but her eyes don't match it...towers thorns fire dragons storms wings curses…guarded. Isaac grits his teeth and blinks, and the words clear, his fingers stilling once more on the table. Her eyes are guarded, as if she'd anticipated something and was just waiting for it to play out. He almost doesn't want to look, but his head turns to Carlos before he can think to resist the urge. He flinches back, caught off guard because if Mal's eyes were guarded, Carlos' are far too…windows sky blank pages ink wells…open.

"Watch your tone, girl!"

The bark comes, not from Stefan as he had initially thought, given the jerky 's' his fingers trace out before he regains his composure- but from Radcliff, who stands so sharply and suddenly his wife doesn't have time to catch his arm. The shift in the villain children is equally sharp and equally sudden; Carlos slips fearfully towards the back of the group, eyes wide and anxious; while the viper's head lifts and his lips go back from his teeth where he stands just in front and to the side of Mal, whose fingers reach out to tangle in the back of his shirt; not quite restraining so much as containing; as if ready to fling him back behind her the moment he lashed out to bite. The other girl, (not Regina's daughter but an evil queen's daughter) does the exact opposite, dropping her chin but not her eyes. They remain sharp and watchful even as she shifts further behind the tallest boy, her body bracing itself for violence.

The actions remain unnoticed by Roger (though not by Ben, whose face twists into a pained grimace; and of course, not by him, his fingers having already scrawled down each and every movement) whose own face contorts fury, eyes accusing as they glare unseen at Carlos. Isaac stiffens, his hands flat on the table only for leverage as they shift to bring him out of his seat because if that man even thought he could get away with looking at his son like that….

"Regardless of how any of us feel about your presence here you forget you still stand before quite the gathering of royalty and those you have wronged. Cleary that means nothing to you given the blatant way you've disrespected us but if you think you can-"

"Ah I see," Mal murmurs, tugging once at the tall viper's shirt. He doesn't relax- if he had been a true snake Isaac would have likened it to a cobra's hood lowering back to its body- but he shifts enough to allow her to step forward. "This is the part where you tell me that if I don't mind my tongue, you'll cut it out of my mouth."

She grins, eyes lighting with emerald with jade with bottle glass with green, and tilts her back to display a scar about half an inch wide and two…maybe three? inches long, thick and raised (a hypertrophic scar, the Author in him [un]helpfully supplies) on the underside of her chin. It's the kind of scar- the kind of cut- that can only really come from a blade, and he doesn't need to imagine (he knows) the kind of conditions it had to have occurred in to cause enough damage to scar like that.

It's a collective sharp intake of breath that meets Mal's still-grinning face as she lowers her chin, her fingers still tangled in the tall boy's shirt. Isaac realizes that this time, it's just as much to support herself as it is to protect or contain him. Even Roger returns to his seat without a word from Anita, and any disgruntled noises anyone else might have made in response to the girl's disrespect choke in their throats.

"Yeah, I've heard that one before," Mal continues, her voice soft even as her fingers go white from where they grip the tall boy's shirt. "Sorry, if you were hoping to be the first to try. I know how disappointing that can be."

Her smile flickers for a second- less broad and more painful- before she straightens again and wipes her expression completely. It would have been a neat trick, but Isaac can still write out every emotion behind the mask. After all, he'd had years (centuries? millennia?) to master reading people so he could write them. And so it's all too easy to pick out the terror and the memories of pain in the corners of her eyes; the defensive way they dart sideways as her chin tilts back minutely- taking stock of the ones around her- the way her jaw twitches like she was losing an argument. (That one in particular, he knew all too well. Regina used to do the same with Cora.)

"And somehow I'm not surprised that even then you haven't learned from your mistakes," a female voice rumbles lowly. It might have been a croon if it weren't so harsh. "Just like your mother."

There's a vague ripple in the air, like heat lifting off a fire, and the tall boy rolls his head to the side and groans, his eyes dark (as rubies as caves as blood) as they glare at the woman.

"Fuck, now you've done it."

"My _mother_?" Mal repeats, and her voice pitches ( _teeters_ **breaks** ) over the word, fingers uncurling from the viper's shirt as she strides forward slowly. "My _mother_ locked me in the basement of our house when I was six because I hadn't yet learned that we lived on the Isle, and on the Isle we don't help goblins pick up apples from the street when they're knocked from their hands. Of course, it's the Isle, so when I say 'basement' I mean 'hole in the ground underneath our crumbling castle that might have been a cellar once but now is just a big hole.'"

Queen Leila makes a strangled noise, and Isaac feels his stomach lurch in panic before he realizes that no, she wasn't about to dissolve into smoke or anything equally horrific; she was merely outraged and mortified at the words coming out of the girl's mouth, and at the girl who spoke them.

"When I was eight, I found out that I was far better off trying to murder my rival than I was at trying to earn her favor. And that that favor was overrated anyway, because she was Maleficent first and my mother, second."

"When I was thirteen- and yes I know I skipped a lot of shit but do you really want to know all the details?" she cuts across a half-hearted whimper with such ease and ferocity that the only reason Isaac knows there had been a whimper was because his hands still hadn't stopped moving.

"I thought…" The whimper falters long enough for him to identify Snow White, then continues before he can dwell too long on another Snow White. "I thought that was the point?"

Mal smirks without any levity; the only amusement a morbid one. "The correct answer is no you fucking don't…and the point? The point is that the only thing our parents ever did 'for' us was give birth to us and then let us keep living, if you can call it that. The point is that you say I'm just like my mother well…be glad you only know your part of the story."

"I…." Ben chokes, clears his throat into the offbeat silence. "I think…that's quite enough for now. We'll-"

"Ducking out again when things don't work out as planned; yeah we know the drill, boy."

A chair slides out as abrupt and gruff as the voice that had spoken, and Isaac starts because he hadn't even seen the dwarf come in but he certainly saw him exit in a huff, and he chuckles just a bit because at least Grumpy hadn't changed- and then he winces because damn it, he missed Stealthy, too- but he can't even express that remorse because this wasn't his story; these weren't his characters…his people….

"Uh…" Ben begins, then stops, pressing his lips tightly together. "We'll meet again later this evening," he intones, as solemnly as he can given the way his hands shake at his sides. He folds them behind his back, where only Isaac is able to note that it does nothing to stop the slight tremble. "I know I've kept you from your kingdoms long enough, but I appreciate-"

"Appreciate all the time we've wasted listening to you whine about villains?" someone mutters, and Ben swallows, while to his left, Mal jerks sharply, her face twisting.

"Your cooperation and understanding," he manages to grit out to their retreating backs.

"At least he's trying," an older woman murmurs, her hair sweeping back over her shoulders in a faded mane of reddish blonde. "That's more than could be said for-"

"And what good will his trying do when they burn down our kingdom?" Stefan snaps back, and Mal's eyes narrow, her lips curling into a snarl.

Ben bows his head as if expecting the words, no resistance in his voice even as he continues with:

"One last meeting to get a final count, hopefully an actual count this time…"

"Ha! He thinks he can get snippy with _us_ for not complying? When he's the one who…"

"Geez, I know they used to crown 'em young cuz of the horrible stuff with plagues and junk…but we don't have any of that now so what's their excuse this time? Cuz I mean between you and me Al, this kid's about one sneeze away from needing a sibling if you know what I…"

"Hey!" Mal snaps, and her voice echoes with the ominous pop of embers in a fire. Silence falls with bated breaths and bared teeth, and Isaac is surprised once again at the amount of anger in her eyes. "Hi, yeah, _excuse me_? Um, I don't know what words you think are coming out of your mouths but the words that I'm hearing are fit for everyday chatter on the Isle."

"I beg your-"

"Already did that once today, and I wasn't even feeling generous then, so don't push your fucking luck," she hisses, and there might have been further outrage except Isaac is certain that nothing could compare to the girl's own, her movements almost threateningly precise as she gestures to Ben.

"He's your Prince! I might just be a villain kid so I can talk shit about him all I want but you guys are actually part of his kingdom so what the fuck is your excuse? He's literally about to be king in a few months isn't he? Like, fuck, guys, even on the Isle there's such a thing as hierarchy and respect!"

"Are you implying that we're behaving like villains?!"

"Of course not," she says quickly, and though her chin drops her eyes remain fire green and locked on the remaining royals. "You're playing exactly the heroes you're supposed to. But like I said, I was already not-generous before so unless you want me to really say what I'm thinking-"

"Why don't I tell you what _I'm_ thinking instead…?"

Stefan breaks from the crowd of royals, hands going with time-honed ease to his belt, fingers closing around the hilt of a small dagger. The blade is barely that; only used for ceremony and decoration more than actual use, and is certainly nothing compared to the sword it might have once been. But the monarch grips it with clear intent, and within seconds the tall boy is tensing to run to Mal's side, the other villain children poised for the same.

Mal snaps her fingers sharply and then extends her arms, palms back and facing the children behind her. Instantly they switch tactics, spreading out further while still moving up; creating a space with less risk of getting overwhelmed, remaining within range for support and added defense.

"Go ahead," Mal all but purrs the words, eyes wide and wild with fear and exhilaration as flames suddenly curl around her forearms. "I fucking dare you."

"That is **enough**!" Ben shouts, and if Mal's voice had popped with fire then his is a wolf's howl. "Everyone stand down, at _once_!"

Mal's head tilts warily in his direction, her posture shifting tentatively into something of a yield as the flames slowly dim. Stefan, however, seized by the same madness that had surely gripped him hundreds of times before (Isaac knows, he wrote some of them) takes the moment of distraction and draws his blade and steps forward in one smooth motion…and is instantly paralyzed as the tall boy (viper, truly, in that moment) strikes, seizing his arm and snapping it up and out with a sharp and painful * **snap** *. The blade falls from the man's hand with a curse, and the boy hisses a dangerous laugh through his teeth as Stefan squirms in a vain attempt to lash out.

"You wanna try that again?" he taunts, but Mal barks a sharp noise that takes Isaac a second to recognize as his name.

"Jay!"

The boy pouts but the danger was gone from his body, even as he kicks Stefan's blade up into his own hand.

"Mine now," he whispers cheekily, before releasing the man and shoving him backwards so hard he trips and crashes against the tables he'd come from.

"I said that's enough," Ben growls, and Isaac shivers at the traces of the beast in his voice. It's not quite his beast (he's fairly certain, at least. He'd remember if he'd written anything like this before) but it's just as furious in its own right and there's complete silence once again from the room; the villain children shifting closer together in a defensive position.

"I've had enough of this behavior and I will not continue to sit and smile through it anymore!"

Isaac watches with no small amount of confusion as Mal's lips curl on one side, a small, almost secret smirk lifting her expression for all of two seconds before it returns to a far more neutral air. He wonders what she knows that he doesn't…why her shoulders had suddenly relaxed and her eyes seem almost unaffected, in contrast to the tight and horrified expressions that make their way in various forms across the other royals' faces.

And then his fingers twitch and Ben finishes his sentence.

"King Stefan, you are hereby dismissed from all future meetings, including the one tonight. From this moment on you are no longer a member of my Council."

" _Your_ Council?!" the man splutters indignantly, his face going nearly as red as his cloak (which wasn't quite as red as Gaston's had been but not too far off…Isaac had fun writing his Gaston…he doesn't think he should mention that, though.)

"Yes," Ben says, and it's such a simple 'yes' and yet the light is back in the pools of his eyes and Isaac can tell it's a yes he'd been waiting to say for a while. "Feel free to take the extra time you now have to start the journey back to your kingdom. I heard it might storm again so an early departure works out great."

"Now you listen here, _boy_ ," Stefan spits, and Isaac notes that while Mal bares her teeth in a snarl, both Jay and Carlos flinch at the word, and his stomach and chest fight to decide which of them can clench tighter at the fear in his boy's eyes. "You might believe what you want about these …'children'…but if you think you can dismiss me from this Council…from this kingdom…you've got another thing coming. Your father-"

"My father has given me explicit control over all matters regarding the VKs," Ben interrupts, and there's a wild feral can't be tamed savageness in his voice that Isaac knows he'd never be able to fully capture on page. "That includes meetings, and who does and does not attend them. And after he hears about the attempted attack on the VKs as well as the various, multiple threats that you have levelled in my direction, you'll consider yourself lucky if the kingdom of Aurorae is allowed to retain its privileges as part of Auradon."

If you had told the man who had travelled realms, created worlds and recorded the stories of the people in those worlds all with a scratch of a quill; who surely must have seen everything -that he would one day witness the sight of King Stefan cringing speechless before an eighteen year old boy; he'd have laughed in your face and claimed it impossible. He'd surely have known if such a thing were to occur because he'd have written it. And yet here he is some years (centuries? millennia?) later, witnessing that very thing. And it's not that he's angry- far from it. He's just jealous he didn't get to write it first.

* * *

 ** _Evie_**

To say that the hideout was a mess would be an understatement. Paint cans and other vessels of the like were scattered all throughout the loft; the windows stained and cracked, with a few missing panels thrown in as a casual reminder of where it was located. The outlines of a mural could just be seen, lending a much brighter tone to the wall on which it resided- the residue of some other color (grey or beige, it depended on who you asked) chipping and cracking underneath. A half of a couch (it had been absolute hell claiming the thing, not to mention getting it to the loft and up the stairs; but it was green and so it had to be theirs) was shoved against one of the walls, a single cushion still attached to the arm serving as a pillow. The couch had been bed to all of them at one point or another over time, the loft the only true 'safe' place they knew.

And so to see it in this state: both couch and singular cushion alike slaughtered ruthlessly; thick, jagged slashes spilling its remaining stuffing throughout the room; paint seeping into the floor from where the cans had been kicked and even flung; the mural a horrific mess of grey and purple and black, the color dripping almost like blood from its brutal wiping over; the symbol of a trident stamped mockingly in the center. It's more than jarring.

"What…" Evie started to ask, stepping carefully over a paint can and wincing when her boot lands in a puddle of red. "What happened?"

"What do you think?" Mal snapped, her shoulders shaking as she stared at the ruined mural.

"That witch!" Jay snarled, eyeing the stuffing mournfully. "I liked that couch, dammit."

Evie wanted to point out that the couch was not the worst of the damage, nor the thing he should be concerned about- Mal's anger…that was the thing to worry over. The other girl still hadn't moved from the mural, her fingers ghosting over the goopy black, and Evie could see the way the muscles in her back stiffened in fury. Before she could think of any pitiful attempt at comfort, a whistle sounded from outside the window. Instantly, Mal snapped into action, practically flying to the window and turning the handle, pushing it out and open in more or less one smooth motion.

"Yo, boss," a familiar voice rang up from the street. "You're gonna want to come down for this."

'This' as it turned out to be, was about four of their gang- Meda, daughter of Medusa; and Link, Jolt, and Tuck, the 'children' of the infamous pranksters Lock, Shock and Barrel, respectively. They weren't exactly their 'children' in a biological sense; the trickster spirits of Halloweentown had already been dead for ages when the Isle had come to be, and therefore couldn't be brought back in the same way. The three before them now, put simply, were just another incarnation of their original counterparts. And they were just as irritating and troublesome as they'd been in their first not-life.

Evie, being a respectable young woman, wouldn't ever say that she 'hated' anyone….

A wolf whistle sounded from the tallest, red clad figure, an eery grin leveled at her from an unsettling skeletal face.

"Hey tits," Link called as Evie approached, his tongue sticking out from between his teeth in a grotesque imitation of a laugh. "Always good to see you."

She hated the little demon with a fiery, burning passion, which, knowing him, he'd probably be thrilled to hear about. She still didn't completely understand how they had gotten to be the way they were; for all appearances and purposes they didn't look much older than nine or ten, with Tuck appearing the youngest at around six. But they were all horrid and grotesque in their own, particularly gruesome ways, and so of course they had to be a part of Mal's gang.

Mal, for her part, snarled sharply in the demon's direction, and while he didn't exactly stop leering at Evie, he at least had the common sense to not be as obvious about it.

"What is it you wanted me to see?" Mal snapped, and Tuck shuffled his feet, running fingers through bruised blue-black hair.

"We uh, heard what happened to the hideout," he began and Mal bared her teeth, eyes flashing darkly.

"Oh you heard did you? And is this your way of expressing some kind of sentiment about it? Because that is far from helpful and it'll be the last thing you'll ever do."

"As if," Meda muttered, rolling her eyes from the edge of the group. "What he means is we _heard_ what happened to the hideout, and we tracked the pirates that did it to the edge of their territory."

"And found this little minx creeping around with some of your paints," Jolt finished, and its then that Evie noticed the other figure, their collar gripped tightly in Link's fist.

What at first looked to be a moving paint splotch revealed itself to be a small girl, probably only about seven or eight years old. Her hair, or what could be seen of it, was a dust brown color, but that was overshadowed by the sheer amount of color staining pretty much every other strand an odd array of pink and blue and green and yellow. The rest of the girl was colored in pretty much the same way, the only blank surface being her face, which was pale and furious as she kicked against Link's grip, eyes flashing behind a thick pair of dark glasses.

"Asshole," the girl spat, kicking at Link again.

Girl, Evie thought. A child, really, she couldn't have been older than Carlos…seven, at least. But unlike Carlos, there was something fierce in this girl; she was bold where he was timid; soft, yes, but not quite so easily construed as sweet and innocent. Plus, Evie mused with a slight smile as she watched the girl continue to kick and swear at the demon-child holding her, she wasn't easily pushed around.

"I like her."

"Excuse me?"

Evie jumped, realizing only in the face of Mal's glare that she'd said that out loud.

"I…I just meant…"

"No, go on," Mal snapped when she faltered. "Keep telling us how much you adore the little pirate who stole our stuff and probably helped trash our hideout."

"I'm not a pirate!" The girl shrieked indignantly, her cry promptly followed by a bellow from Link , and Evie looked over with no small trace of amusement as she realized the girl had managed to kick where no male wanted to be kicked, effectively freeing herself.

"Oh you little bitch!" Link squeaked, reaching vainly for the girl as she darted out of his reach. Unfortunately for her, there were others waiting to grab her, and she was promptly subdued (courtesy a harsh blow from Meda that made both Evie and Carlos flinch in protest) and grabbed up again.

"Alright enough," Mal said, and the girl froze, eyes uncertain at the sudden bite in the older girl's tone.

Even Evie had to pause, taken aback by the ferocity. She exchanged a glance with Carlos, who signed frantically to her as Mal strode towards the girl; with both palms up and in 'D' handshapes, he rapidly crooked his pointer finger towards himself, almost tapping it against his thumb before continuing; with his palm facing himself and index finger extended, he made a quick, small circular motion before emphasizing his point by gesturing towards Mal.

[Do something!]

[What?] Evie signed back, spreading her hands and giving a helpless shrug of her shoulders.

Carlos huffed soundlessly at her, eyes rolling slightly as he signed; both hands in 'A' handshapes; closed fist with thumb against the side of his fingers and the thumb pointing upwards, he turned his hands sideways before spreading his hands into flat palms. Then he kept going, quickly fingerspelling M-A-L before bringing his left hand up in an index handshape; making a short, stabbing motion in the direction of his flat right hand; finishing by pointing towards the girl, who was now staring up at a rather furious looking Mal.

[Anything! Mal will kill her!]

Evie started to reply that she didn't think that was likely to happen, but then again, Mal had been far more…ruthless….than usual. She didn't know exactly why or what had happened; the other girl certainly never entertained Evie's questions long enough to find out. Only that something had happened and now Mal was even more pissed off at the world than usual, and far more willing to prove it.

"Mal," Evie said slowly, following Carlos' signed prompts. "She's just a child."

[Tiny] Carlos signed; bringing his thumb and index finger together like they were shrinking something between them; then making a 'Y' shape and indicating back and forth between himself and the girl.

"Tiny," Evie repeated dutifully, a tiny twitch of a smile tugging at her lips despite the severity of the situation. "Like Carlos."

"Since when have I ever let size make a difference?" Mal retorted, and Evie grimaced as she remembered the particularly nasty fight with the Wharf Rats a couple weeks ago. They'd somehow got in their heads that Carlos being part of their gang signified a weakness, and had set up a vain attempt at an ambush. It had been a clever attempt in its own way, but none of the children had escaped unscathed, despite the fact that they'd all been under eight. To be fair, the rats had started the conflict, and despite their size no child on the Isle ever stayed truly innocent for long.

But there was something about this little girl staring boldly up at Mal that struck Evie as distinctly not Isle-like; her eyes still bright and young and full of a defiance that really was just the kind of innocent that didn't exist.

"I'm not scared of you," she said. A fearless boast; her lips curling in the exaggerated pout of anger that only one so small could achieve.

"Oh, you shouldn't be," Mal crooned, eyes wide with false sincerity as she stooped to be eye level with the girl. Evie shivered and exchanged a panicked look with Carlos because for just one second, she'd almost sounded like Maleficent.

"I'm not going to hurt you, after all," Mal continued smoothly, but her head cocked and Evie could see her eyes flicker pointedly to the left.

In spite of herself, Evie followed the shifted gaze to see Link, grinning that disturbingly feral grin of his; one hand still precariously clutching at his waist. She stiffened at the undisclosed threat, but didn't dare open her mouth now and draw attention to her discomfort. Not only would that place a further target on herself from Link, but to appear in any way undivided, well….they didn't need any further attacks than what they were already dealing with.

"But I can't exactly make any claims for the rest of my gang, you understand?" Mal said in an undertone, smiling as if confiding something to the now trembling girl. "So how about I just take back the paints you stole and we'll just pretend it never happened, ok?"

"No," the girl mumbled, and though her voice shook, there was an equal measure of that defiance still in her eyes as she brought a shaky hand up to adjust her glasses. "I…I need them."

"You need them?" Mal repeated dubiously, lifting a brow, that smile still on her face. "For what?"

"The…the dyes I make," the girl whispered, arms coming up to hug herself as she shifted backwards just a step.

"Uma makes dyes," Meda broke in, a haughty sort of look on her face as she combed her fingers through her own, seaweed green hair.

"Uma _thinks_ she makes dyes," the girl retorted, almost smug as he lifted her chin daringly. "Mine actually last longer than a single wash."

"Since when does anyone _wash_?" Jolt muttered enviously, and Evie straightened, something in the small girl's words tipping her off to something.

"Mal," she said, but stopped when Mal lifted her hand, her own gaze suddenly dark.

"Yeah, no, I got it," she snapped, and her eyes narrowed as she bent to the child again.

"What's your name, brat?"

"I'm-" The girl faltered, fidgeting with her glasses again before answering, eyes on her paint-stained shoes. "They call me Dizzy."

"Dizzy," Mal repeated slowly, and her brow furrowed even further as she straightened, turning her head to glare at the assembled quartet.

"Where did you say you found her again?"

"Pirate territory," Meda answered, when the triplets took too long quarreling over who would answer. "Like we said. She was heading in the direction of Tremaine's and that's smack in the middle of the pirates' turf. No way to survive being that deep in unless you've got something going on with them."

"It's…not easy," the girl mumbled, and Mal nodded idly, eyes still narrow.

"Yeah I bet…wait, Tremaine?" She straightened sharply, turning and pointing cautiously at the girl. "Drizella?" she said slowly, and the girl- Dizzy- shuffled her feet with a self-conscious grimace.

"She's…my mom," she said quietly, and Mal went white, letting out a breathless noise as she turned back to the other four.

"Oh, you….idiots!" She snarled, and they all flinched at the venom in her voice. "We're on good terms with Tremaine, and you assholes went and…." She quieted, the tension remaining in her shoulders alone. "One. Two."

"Oh fuck, this is where we run, isn't it?" Tuck whined, as Mal reached 'Three' and her eyes lit with fire.

"Yeah," Evie said, no small amount of smugness in her voice as Mal's hand curled around a blade. "This is where you run."

Jolt yelped, grabbing Tuck and shoving him ahead of her as she bolted down the street, Link following not a moment behind, limping ever so slightly.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Meda sighed, disappearing in a separate direction and leaving just the remaining four of them.

"Fucking idiots!" Mal repeated, fingers trailing the length of her throwing knife. "I don't know why I don't just kill them and be done with it."

"Because you know that if you kill the triplets they'll just come back again later and haunt you till you die?" Evie supplied. "And Meda is stupidly fond of them so she'd probably just kill you in revenge before they got the chance to?"

"Thank you, Evie," Mal drawled sarcastically, teeth bared in frustration as she slowly slid her knife back in her belt.

"Um…"

"Right," Mal snapped, at the uncertain hum from the girl behind them. "Sorry about that. Like I said, can't always control what they do, you know."

"Uh huh," Dizzy said, nodding slowly and with obvious disbelief.

"Look, how about you keep the paints, and we'll actually pretend like this never happened?" Mal said, hands spreading as if to show she was harmless despite all her earlier threats. "Past is past?"

"Forgive, forget," Dizzy finished, a small, knowing sort of smile flickering onto her face. "I know how it goes."

"Good," Mal said, obvious relief in her eyes. "We really are on good terms with Tremaine, and I'd hate to think…."

"I don't know if I get that, though," Dizzy cut in, crossing her arms again and frowning. Rather boldly, in Evie's opinion, but then again, everything about this girl was pretty bold. "Granny hates the gangs so I don't know why you keep saying that."

"Your Granny profits from the gangs," Mal laughed, though not entirely mean spirited. "We keep the worse gangs out of her way, scare some customers towards her shops, keep an eye on Antoine so the bastard doesn't get himself killed when he's playing his tricks; and in return, she keeps us safe from the big names who tend to flock around her and occasionally turns a blind eye when we 'borrow' stuff from those shops."

Dizzy looked unsettled at the idea, but before Evie could think of something to say to comfort her (or scold Mal), she spoke up, fingers tugging at a loose thread in her dress.

"Damien," she said softly, and Mal frowned.

"Huh?"

"His name is Damien," she repeated, a bit more firmly this time, eyes hard as she looked up at them.

"No, I don't mean one of your cousins or whatever," Mal said slowly, unsure. "I meant Anastasia's son, who probably should be in Auradon with her but isn't because her prince didn't agree to claiming him, so he got sent here instead…it was a huge thing how do you not….?"

"No," Dizzy snapped, and it was so odd to see her suddenly so angry, her hands in shaky fists at her sides. "He's my big brother, and his name is Damien, I think I would know."

"But then what?"

"It's probably what Granny came up with to tell people so they wouldn't get nosy," Dizzy replied somewhat grumpily, that angry pout back on her face. "Like now."

"Ok, easy," Mal chided, though Evie could tell she was just as stunned as she was by the information, the furrow in her brow indicating her confusion. "If she's spreading that then it's no wonder…"

"What Mal means to say," Evie cut in, as the smaller girl's eyes threated to cloud with furious tears. "Is that we're all on the same team, so there's no point in fighting like this."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Mal mumbled dismissively, but her own eyes were still sharp enough that Evie could tell she was still genuinely concerned.

"…yeah," Dizzy finally managed reluctantly, and Evie sighed quietly in relief and offered her a smile.

"Good, now. I'm Evie; that's Carlos," she nodded her head over in the direction of the smaller boy, who waved shyly but didn't offer more than that. "And of course, you know Mal. She can be a bitch sometimes but she's actually harmless, I promise."

"Don't speak too soon," Mal growled, but Evie just waved her off, and Dizzy finally cracked and giggled, the last traces of tension fading from her body.

"It's fine," she said, glancing around them. "If it's true what you said then…that we're all on the same team, then there's no point in staying mad at each other. You'll just end up hurting yourself."

"Smart kid," Mal chirped, grinning now. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Uh huh," Dizzy said in faux skepticism, adjusting her glasses again and not bothering to hide her own obvious smile. "And you're not just saying because I'm not going to tell Granny how you kidnapped me and…"

"And I'm going to not remember that you stole from the daughter of Maleficent and I am more than happy to live up to the reputation," Mal countered, and though Dizzy's eyes went wide at the revelation, she was still smiling just a little.

"Woah, ok," she said. "Blackmail goes both ways."

"Mm-hm," Mal hummed lowly, and Dizzy let out a soft chuckle.

"Ok, I'll just go now," she said quickly, turning sharply on her heel and making to exit out onto the street. Then she straightened with a squeal and turned back around. "Right, before I forget; if you guys ever want some hair color that doesn't smell like sea foam, come by the salon around 11:00 pm. That's when I'm on and I can probably get you a discount as long as you promise to not steal any more of our stuff."

"Wait really?" Evie couldn't help but squeal right back, and even Mal looked relatively excited.

"That's super…nice…of you," she said slowly, and Dizzy flushed and grinned sheepishly.

"I know," she mumbled, before turning and all but skipping back across the border into pirate territory.

"Well Carlos, you've officially been replaced as the cutest member of our gang," Mal deadpanned, the moment the girl had disappeared from view.

Carlos spluttered, looking offended; lifting his right hand in a flat palm and brushing the fingertips of his left hand against it. [Excuse me?]

"Aw, Mal you do have a heart," Evie teased, and Mal blinked, her brow furrowing as she glared at her.

"What gave you the impression otherwise?" she snapped, and Carlos scoffed before paling and falling silent when the glare turned to him.

"You've been acting pretty uh…heartless the past few weeks," Evie continued, a bit delicately.

"No I haven't," Mal protested immediately, and Evie fixed her with a look.

"The Wharf Rats, just the other week?" she reminded. "Sure they started it but I'm almost positive that that one kid still can't move his fingers."

"Oh you mean that one that literally tried to stab me in the back?" Mal retaliated without remorse, and Evie sighed, deciding it wasn't worth it to push that one.

"And before that? When the Huns came and…"

"Don't." Mal snarled, stiffening sharply, eyes lighting again with green.

"Well, we now have their declaration of war to worry about thanks to whatever it is you did to _them_ ," Evie continued, diplomatically skirting around the specifics of that encounter. It had left them all with quite a few more scars, though not for lack of retaliation on their part.

"It wasn't war against you they promised," Mal mumbled, so softly that Evie wasn't sure she was meant to have heard.

"Then there's just now…with Link," she finished, and Mal exhaled slowly, her eyes returning to normal, although the tension in her jaw and shoulders remained.

"That was low, wasn't it?" she said, and Evie nodded emphatically.

"Your mom might have done it."

That seemed to strike the other girl as she froze, something like horror in her eyes, her jaw twitching sharply to the left.

"Shit."

Mal drew a sharp breath and cursed again, dropping her head so Evie could no longer read the emotions twisting her face. She stayed that way a few...too long seconds before straightening again, a much more controlled look on her face, though the way she trembled spoke louder than any spoken word.

"I didn't realize it had been that long," she finally managed weakly. "Or that…that I was…that bad."

Carlos shrugged, pointing first to Mal before curling his index finger into an 'X' handshape; he made a firm downwards movement with the crooked finger; before placing his fingers in flat hand against his mouth then moving his hand down and away sharply.

[You _should_ be bad.]

Mal rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched into a reluctant grin. "Thanks, 'Los. Glad I have your approval to continue my villainous ways."

He made a sweeping, mocking sort of 'hats off' gesture before laughing and dodging her attempts to grab him and ruffle his hair.

"If it'll make you feel better," Evie spoke over the sounds of Mal's victorious cry and Carlos' stifled yelping. "You can always apologize to the Rats, at least."

"What, like in Auradon?" Mal mocked, finally releasing a now breathless Carlos, who immediately slunk behind Evie and attempted to fix his hair. "I hope we never end up there."

"No?" Evie asked, straightening in surprise because of all the things that Mal had done she hadn't been expecting her to renounce that hope. It was a stupid hope and only usually ever said in jest, but there had been moments where they'd wished with some sincerity; for a place where they could be safe. Free.

"Oh Hades no!" Mal cried, still slightly breathless with laughter. "Could you imagine? I'd never get anything done I'd be too busy apologizing to everyone I offended or hurt."

[True.] Carlos signed; placing his index finger against his lips like he was making a 'shush' gesture, then moving it forward in a quick motion.

"Zip it you," Mal snapped, and Carlos lifted his brows almost pointedly. "You know what I mean."

"But you've never hurt anyone you cared about," Evie tried, still unsure what the shift in attitude was. "So as long as you stayed with us, you'd be fine in Auradon."

"Don't count your dead, E." Mal's voice shifted so suddenly in tone that Evie flinched, and even Carlos looked worried.

"What?"

Mal blinked, and the dark look on her face lightened a little too quickly to be authentic, her fingers rubbing at her shoulder; at the place the Hun leader has pinned her with spear in his attempt to kill her.

"Nothing. Just a saying." Mal shook her head and grinned, and it was the kind of feral glee that Evie grown to associate with the times Mal wanted to hide her feelings with destruction. "Now come on, let's see what we can salvage from the hideout and start working on making the sea urchins that did it pay."

* * *

 **Mal**

There's a hand on her arm and in seconds she's jabbed her elbow back as hard as she can and freed the letter opener from her belt, spun and lashed out before there was time to think.

"Woah-kay that's sharp," her attacker says, and a part of her brain says familiar, safe? and the other roars danger, alleyways, trapped, pain, death and she stabs again.

"Easy," and "No," and "Woah," and "Hey," interject their way through each of her attacks, and she knows she's being sloppy about it because the person who'd grabbed her was dodging them enough to talk, and hadn't immediately dropped to the ground when she'd first swung.

As she's processing the fact that her shoes are squeaking beneath her feet (and the fact that has shoes on her feet and that there is a floor to squeak against instead of dirt), she hears:

"Ok, stopping this now"

and feels a firm pressure around her wrists, a short, twisting motion that sends her blade to the floor along with her stomach because she doesn't have a weapon and she's vulnerable and-

"Got to say, I'm impressed you still have a knife since I thought we took them all. But I guess that'll teach me to underestimate a VK…again."

And she's in Auradon, and blinking up at a slightly sweaty and not-quite-as-ruffled-as-he-should-have-been Aziz, who was blinking right back at her as if he didn't quite know what to do with himself.

"What do want faggot?"

Aziz, for his part doesn't flinch, but both eyebrows go up even as his mouth curls sharply down.

"Um."

"Sorry," she blurts instantly and means it (since when does she mean it?), grimacing. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"Uh-huh….See, as much as I'd love to get into _that_ with you, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh so you weren't just ambushing me in an unprotected section of hallway for fun? You actually did want something?"

He blinks at her, and she realizes she'd deflecting again…realizes that she's _shaking_ and it's stupid because he shouldn't even count and yet her instincts keep screaming that she'd been grabbed by a _man_ , and she's still so raw from the Council that every syllable spoken from a deeper pitch of voice has her teetering on edge.

"You ok?"

"Fine." She snaps, then grits her teeth because it's a lie and for some reason she cares about that. "Shut up."

He does, and it's not any better because it's quiet now and quiet never meant anything good on the Isle, and despite his silence she knows he's still there and if she can't hear him she can't see him and this wasn't the Isle this is Auradon but he's still there and she can't…she can't breathe and….

"Hemlock," she blurts instantly, and there's a shuffle of movement but no voice sounds to stop her; no hands reach to pin her down. "I always thought that if I were to kill you, I'd use hemlock. Took me a while to narrow down but it's pretty perfect; paralyzes you, you know? But the rest of you isn't so you get to stay awake as your body just shuts slowly down and all the while you just…can't move. Which I always thought was perfect considering-"

"What happened to Jay," Aziz finishes for her, and she flinches sharply, sucking in a breath too quickly to do anything more than stare at him, bewildered. He stares right back, and it's somehow worse seeing the understanding in his eyes. "And…you?"

"And you're basing that on…what, exactly?"

But she knows exactly what, and the wall at her back does nothing to comfort her; nothing to make any of this better and she wants her crew but they're all scattered throughout the school and she feels like she's the one who's swallowed hemlock.

"Um, well. I'd say something cocky like 'word on the street' or whatever, but uh…I don't think that would really help here so…."

"You Auradonians really love using that word," she mutters, staring at his hands, which twist around themselves in a never-ending loop of anxiety. "But you never like to actually do anything."

"Um, would…would you like me to do anything?" he says, and she looks up at the strange note to his voice. "Right now, I mean," he continues. "What…what helps? And I know, I know…but you're still kinda…shaking? And if it's me I just want to know so I can actually do something."

"Aziz."

"Hm?"

"Shut up."

He starts to reply, but then thinks better of it and sheepishly falls silent, even backing away a couple steps and it's that added gesture- the added thought, really; no one in Auradon ever thought- that breaks through enough to actually do something. He must take some cue from her, though she doesn't even know when she made it, only that she's leaning against the wall now and he's a step closer and arsenic, hemlock, strychnine, nightshade but she doesn't really think she needs any of them right now.

"So...I guess first off sorry for grabbing you like that," Aziz says, shuffling a foot and burying his hands in his pockets. "I didn't think…."

He grimaces, eyes flickering to her as if to gauge her reaction, and it's both a comfort and an annoyance, and she presses her back more firmly to the wall and crosses her arms.

"Just get to the point already," she snaps, irritated that her voice still sounds unsteady. She feels unsteady, sure, but that didn't mean she had to advertise it like that. "You want to talk about Jay. And you're gonna have to deal with the disappointment when I tell you that's not gonna happen."

"But is it true what they're saying?" Aziz says, and he's so concerned that she could almost forgive him for pressing. Almost.

"I thought I said…"

"I just want to know if it's me," he insists, and she has a sharper retort on her tongue but he's so sincere that she hesitates instead. "I just want to know if it's me so I can…stay away if I have to. If it'll help."

She laughs, then, and it's probably the last thing he'd been expecting because he stares at her blankly, his eyes wide and oh so genuine and it's somehow hilarious in hindsight that she'd ever thought she'd need hemlock for him.

"Don't be so eager to be a problem, Aziz," she tells him, and he just blinks at her. "You're a gay piece of shit but you are nothing that we can't handle."

"Um…not quite sure if that's the insult or the complement…" he drawls, and she rolls her eyes at him, settling against the wall.

"Let's just say it's Isle speak for you don't have to worry about looking like the shadows of our monsters."

"See, Carlos said something like that too but I can't help but feel like it's not entirely true."

"Carlos told you? Really?" She cocks her head, not wondering so much when but how, because if anything, Carlos could be even more protective of Jay than she was; and if he'd actually made an effort to confront what had been viewed as a threat….

"He said…me and Nikki…he said that we're not like anything on the Isle; but it can't be true because obviously there's something about us that reminds you. That reminds Jay."

He shrugs helplessly, hands still deep in his pockets so his shoulder scrunch up his entire body and he just looks so…small.

"And if that's the case then…we'll stay away, we just…want to help."

"You hero types and all your self-sacrificing bullshit," she mutters, and Aziz chuckles nervously, a hand escaping his pocket to smooth hair that really didn't need smoothing.

"Does that mean that we're ok to hang around?"

"I'll do you one better and say it means that for now I consider you an ally and we'll leave it at that."

"You know, I think you and I have different meanings of the word ally," he replies, and she lifts a brow.

"And what's your definition?"

"Well my definition kind of involves a distinct lack of homophobic slurs and insults, along with some equal level of empathy or understanding?"

"What are you making a request?" Mal scoffs, then realizes that while his tone had been joking, his eyes are somewhat serious, and she frowns, crossing her arms even further.

"I don't really do sentiment," she finally says, and he nods like he gets it, but she thinks she's hurt him, somehow. "If I told you insults were the Isle way of showing affection would you believe it?"

"Probably not," he says, and though his lips twitch a little she knows it's just a front. "I take it that's a no on the less homophobia, then?"

"How 'bout it's an 'I'll try?'" Mal offers, shrugging her shoulders and trying to ignore the voice inside that sounded like her mother.

"Trying's good," Aziz answers, and it's so odd how quickly the hope lights in his eyes. "Trying's how we all start."

"I'm not making any promises," she says pointedly, and he laughs, grinning.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a VK," he says.

"There, now you're getting it!" She smirks at him, and he's still shaking his head when the bell rings above them and suddenly her stomach is full of poison after all because class is over which means she has to go find Jay and…..

"Will you guys be at dinner?" Aziz asks, and he's back to solemn again just as quickly as she is, picking up on that much, at least.

"Maybe," she says, shuffling her feet and turning to scan the hallway. She sees none of her crew, but she does see the looks exchanged; the curled lips and laughter. "What are they saying?"

Aziz remains quiet beside her, but she knows better than to think it's because he hadn't heard her.

"Aziz," she snaps, refusing to turn her head from the crowds for the same reason. "You asked me if it's true what they're saying… _what are they saying about Jay?"_

* * *

 **Ben**

"How dare you?"

He turns, stomach dropping so sharply at the harshness of the voice that it takes him a moment to register the words themselves. To say that Audrey looks furious would be an understatement; she's practically murderous: her whole body tight and trembling, her usually smooth features so contorted it's only through his intimate knowledge of them that he's able to find her eyes at all. Of course, when he does find her eyes he regrets it; the utter loathing and rage filling him all the more with dread.

"Audrey," he says slowly, but she doesn't give him a chance to do more before she's reached him, and he has the sudden terrified urge to flee in the other direction.

"How dare you!"

She's screaming, and it's only the merciful fact that they were currently alone in the hallway that prevented the whole of Auradon from hearing.

Calm down, he tries to say. Stop screaming. Talk. _Talk_. **Talk**

"You dismissed my grandfather from the Council? Do you have any idea, any idea at all, what you've just done?"

"Audrey…"

"No!" She hisses, but even then it's more a shriek than anything so quietly harsh. "Answer me, Ben. Do you have _any idea_ …?"

"Yes."

She flinches, recoiling from him with disgust, and he wishes she would scream at him then; anything but that silent horror.

"Yes, I know what I did. Do you want to know what he did? Or does the fact that he's been constantly undermining me and blatantly disrespecting what little authority I have not matter?"

Oh. Now he's the one who's yelling.

Audrey lets out a high noise of laughter that's the farthest from amused he's ever seen her. She's staring at him like…like she doesn't know him…like he's some pitiful, grotesque thing under her feet.

"You want authority?" she says, practically spitting the word at him. "Grow up and show it. No one's going to hand you respect like it's a goddamned lollipop!"

Pain stabs through his chest and he reels back, half expecting to find a knife buried in his lungs; and then he realizes it's because he can't breathe; and that he's backed against the wall and it's the first time he's felt it so he doesn't even recognize the panic for what it is. Audrey's lips twitch on one side: a horrific, mocking smile that he almost wants to take some kind of violent action against because it's not fair and how can she do this to him so easily, so ruthlessly?

"And you stand there and stare like a helpless child and wonder why no one takes you seriously," she says, and she must be quiet now because he can hear his heart try and force its way out of his body and he wouldn't be able to do that if she was still screaming.

"Are you done now?" He doesn't know how he's talking, but he is, and her eyes flicker like she's surprised but that horrible look is still on her face and he doesn't know what he did to put it there. "Can I talk?"

She doesn't say anything, just crosses her arms, and usually a gesture like that might mean she's feeling defensive; but the way she does it just further signifies her defiance and his lungs give another stab to remind him that breathing was a voluntary action that he had to take.

"I wasn't going to stand there and let him disrespect me," he says slowly, not because he wanted to take any particular care with his words, but because if he goes any faster it will take away from breathing. He needs to breathe. "I'm sick and tired of being walked all over and treated like I don't have feelings; like I'm not allowed to have feelings and that I have to be this perfect ruler."

He takes another breath and blinks, and suddenly everything is in focus again and he realizes that Audrey is crying almost as hard as he is.

"Well guess what," he chokes, and she won't look at him now and he hates it. "I have them, I feel them. And I'm not going to keep playing docile and take that from anyone. Not him. And not you."

She flinches, lifting her head, but only to turn it to the side, her arms tightening even further, and he realizes what it means with painful clarity.

"You- you've already set your mind about something. Haven't you?"

Her chin lifts. Her lips press together, the little dimple in her cheek that he'd always loved poke his finger into to tease her when they'd been tiny (and even now that they're grown) standing out in stark contrast to the atmosphere.

"Only that you won't need to worry about settling the matter because my family is already taking the necessary steps to detach the kingdom of Aurorae from the United Kingdoms of Auradon."

She says it all in a detached tone, and while a part of him wants to break and hysterically laugh at his own unintended pun, instead he says:

"So is this a declaration of war, or a break up?"

She bites her lower lip, still not looking at him, and he realizes just how long it's been since he's kissed her. There was no point in rectifying that now, and yet he can't resist the sudden overwhelming urge to do just that; just sweep her entirely off her feet or even scandalously switch their positions and back her against the wall- to just kiss her hard enough to make all their words nonexistent. To make the two of them last.

"It's a declaration of a break," she says at last, and it's so diplomatic and formal that he can't stand it. Then he realizes it's because he actually can't stand, and he presses himself further against the wall to at least pretend. Then he wonders if he'd only ever just been pretending with her, but it hurts too much to entertain even as a passing thought.

"Is this the kind of break that entails 'friends but not really' and us seeing other people, or the kind that involves the whole 'it's not me it's you' bit?"

Audrey drops her chin at that, but then she's looking at him in the next second; so suddenly and so intensely that he's grateful it's a wall at his back because if there'd been open space he's almost certain she'd have pushed him into it.

"Did you stop and think, while you were so absorbed in your own hurt feelings, what your little tantrum means for Aurorae? For my family? _My family_ , Ben! Did every think about what this means to _them_?"

She's nearly crying again now, but it's anger in her trembling voice; pain in the press of her lips and the twitch of the dimpled and unamused cheek; betrayal ringing in her every word.

"It's true you know, that coming back from a hundred years of negligence isn't something that can just happen overnight. Do you know how close we actually came to dying out? Close enough that when a chance came to join with a greater power there wasn't a question about it. Only how soon, and if it meant solidifying it all with casting the demon that did it to us onto an island prison and making a desperate bid for a betrothal then here, our bags are already packed."

"Is that all it was, then?" why was he crying? why was he surprised? he'd known this all along, after all. "Is that what I am to you? Just a political move?"

She clenches her jaw then, and he's clenching his fists because he knows exactly what she's going to say.

"No," she says carefully, and his blood runs colder with each syllable. "You were the naïve hero who thought that all your problems could be solved with a shield instead of a sword, and I needed that. Needed someone to pull me out of that world of and remind me of the other ones that exist…. Instead you just reminded me why I chose politics to begin with."

She leaves him there outside the board room door, not even looking back, and the only thing he can think is that he might not have been good at politics; but he wouldn't ever want to be, not if this is what it means. Yet Audrey's tears and the echo of her sobs still ring in his ears; and the door is still in front of him with all those people behind it; more people he had to face; more people to tell him all the ways in which he failed them; how he wasn't what they needed him to be. And then all the words he'd left unspoken come flooding into his thoughts and he's screaming them down the empty hall and his voice is too hoarse and too broken to make it very far but he's not holding back; can't hold back; can't be over….

"You can't expect me to break myself into a thousand pieces to try and make you happy! The kind of ruler I am is based on who I decide I want to be…the kind of person I want to be and it's not fair of you…you can't pin your problems on me like that, Audrey, it's not…it's not fair!"

It's not fair and it can't be over he doesn't want it to be over like this…and yet it's still not over and he suddenly can't be in that hallway for another second. Not with the clicking echo of Audrey's heels or the heat in his face that makes him wonder if she'd struck him; but the pain tears through his chest alone and he's wishing for physical violence because to attack with words like that just wasn't fair.

Ben forces himself to his feet (when had he fallen, why was he still crying get it together damnit!) and barely manages to adjust his hair (adjust his face adjust his everything it's your own fault not good enough have to _adjust_ ) before he staggers into the board room and clutches at the podium in the front.

The first thing he's aware of when he dares to open his eyes is the distinct lack of King Stefan's presence and while it's relief that his main source of torment is gone; it's followed by a sick pit of dread because his absence also means the absence of Queen Leila; of Phillip and Aurora…of Audrey. And he almost thinks he will be sick because how could she do that to him and how could he be what he's not and why was it his fault but it was his fault and how can he be expected to fix all the other mistakes with the kingdom when he can't even fix his own?

He grips the podium and imagines he hears it splinter in his fingers before realizing it was creaking a little, and he forces himself to straighten and move away from it (don't be weak don't be a child, Ben, if you want _respect_ ….), lifts his head and opens his eyes (and he really need to stop closing them.)

The second thing he's aware of, when he's wrenched himself enough out of himself to be aware, is the sheer amount of staring eyes on him from the remaining assembled royals and all he can think is why can't they leave him alone?

"What now?" he sighs, and he knows it's more of a whine; knows that he's slumped down against the podium at the front.

But right now it's the only thing keeping him upright; keeping him from throwing it all away, the crown, the kingdom…he wants no part of this broken, messed up thing he's inherited. There's an uncertain ripple of murmurs and coughing, and he barely manages to lift his head to give a weak glare in their general direction.

"I know," he snaps, or he would have snapped if he weren't so tired. "But I'm just so done with all the pretense so why don't we just skip it all and get right down to where you tell me what you think of me."

"Oh, well if you're giving us _permission_ this time."

An all too eager voice rings out, and Ben isn't sure if he wants to laugh or give in and sink to the floor and scream because of course it's Aladdin who's standing; rubbing his hands together and beaming like he's just been handed another magic lamp.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine hisses, but Ben just tries to keep lifting his head and making eye contact as the man just shrugs a shoulder, his hands dropping to fold neatly in front of his body.

"Nope, it's my turn to talk now and in the thread of brutal honesty it's only fair to say that I think with all the pressure that's been placed on you you're doing a better job at handling all of this than I ever could. And also I never liked that old _**maeiz** _ (goat) anyway so no hard feelings over Stefan."

The man makes a face, and it's most likely meant to be teasing, but Ben feels his knees buckle and he's not sure if it's the words or everything behind them, but he's on the floor now; his back against the podium and legs sprawled out in front of him.

"What?" he croaks out, ignoring the cries of alarm and concern because they hurt and he really doesn't want to figure out if they're fake or not.

"There were some things that were said this afternoon that…hit us all hard," Aladdin continues slowly, lowering himself not back into his seat, but to his knees. "True things…very true…made us remember."

Ben lifts his head (when had he dropped it?) to realize that all the royals were lower as well; either crouching or kneeling or at least sitting somewhat less dignified in their chairs. Humble? Is that the word…the concept behind it?

"Remember?" he repeats, not sure what that look on Snow White's face is but also not entirely sure he likes it.

"Our childhoods," Cinderella answers, her voice soft and all too knowing as she looks at him. "The fact that we were all children and that instead of facing what happened to us and what we went through we took the shiny crowns they offered us and banished it all to a place even we couldn't reach."

"Except now it's reached us," Anita whispers. "And it terrifies us because we don't know how to deal with it. We never dealt with it."

Roger sniffs beside her, but is quiet…ashamed?

"We don't hate the children you brought to us, Ben," Snow White's Prince (his namesake), Florian says, and though the man hadn't lowered himself to the floor, he was at least leaning down in his chair, a heaviness in his eyes that match his voice. "We fear the villains that we never dealt with; the things that we went through back to haunt us in another form."

"You…you have nothing to fear from them," Ben manages shakily, sitting up just a little further against the podium. "They…they fear you, and I'm not entirely sure they're wrong to think that all things considered."

A shift in the room tells him that the other royals too have adjusted, and now sit or kneel in further upright positions. He frowns, and a fleeting thought occurs to him and on a whim he reaches up and removes his crown, placing it on the carpet beside him. Some, like Aladdin; like Naveen; like Ariel; like the Charming's- are quick to casually do the same: either cocking their crowns in a less formal position or removing it entirely; and while some other don't have crowns to remove, they unzip jackets or unbutton cloaks (remove some padded bits of armor in the case of Mulan and Shang) - further humbling themselves, yes, but also….following his lead?

"You're-you're…following my lead," Ben expresses the revelation aloud, and there's a reddening of faces and nervous coughing and guilty, embarrassed expressions.

"Well, you are our Prince," Aladdin is the one to say it, and Ben can tell the others are relieved to not have that burden. "And it's only fair we try and do it now when we've…been kind of terrible to you about it before."

"Kind of?" he mutters, and there's an even larger range of red faces and shame.

"We're sorry," Aladdin continues firmly, glaring around the room, and it's only in following the man's gaze that Ben can see that while a majority had followed there are still those who hadn't; who are normal faced, or pale and stoic- unrepentant- and he nearly regrets sitting up in the first place. "It was more than just not fair of us to put all of that on you and we -or at least I- want to try and do what can be done to correct that."

"Like an actual Council?" Ben thinks that the trace of bitterness he feels is justified there, but the thin press of Prince Eric's lips before he answers that tells him that the other royal hadn't appreciated it as such.

"Yes," the man says, however, combing a hand through short, dark hair. "An actual Council, that seeks to fix the problems we face."

"You mean the problems you created?" Ben retorts, and he realizes he's back to standing; that he's being defensive now, but he can't help it. Can't trust it…not after all that Audrey just said.

Charming smirks at him, at least, and Cinderella ducks her head beside him, though Ben can see that it's only to hide her own amused look. He doesn't know if it's more of a comfort or an insult to know that they support him so wholeheartedly, but he'll take it at this point. Something genuine.

"We want to fix the problems," Tiana says firmly, arms crossed over her green cloak, coiled braids now freed from their crown splitting her face into an eerie mask of stern determination. "I think that should be the point, and not just placing and shifting blame."

"Right." Ben coughs, a bit ashamed himself now. He stares pensively at his crown and picks it up, but he hesitates a moment to lift it. If he puts it back on again, did that just mean he was inviting all of it back? They were on his side now (for now, he doesn't doubt that) but there was no guarantee…if he puts it on again and fails….

He chances a glance back up and there's an overwhelming range of equally determined and slightly abashed faces staring back at him, and he feels a strange tightness in his throat; a surge of something in his chest that he doesn't want to identify. Too afraid to call it hope. But the looks on their faces tell him that in this moment, they feel the same way he does, and he can work with that.

"So," he says, lifting the crown; lifting the burden; lifting the _problem_ \- and placing it on his head. "To fixing the problems?"

"To fixing the problems."

It's a near unanimous chorus of voices, of raised crowns and hands, and he can work with this. He will work with this. Never mind the silent voices; the crowns that hadn't been lifted. Right now, he knows what needs to be done.

"In that case," he says, straightening and settling the crown back on his head. "Let's start with this…."

* * *

 **Carlos**

The museum, as it turned out, was incredibly easy to find and actually didn't take much navigating on their part. There were conveniently lit road signs everywhere, marking down the miles to go and which turns to take, and Carlos was sure they'd all have laughed about it and what it said about Auradon (what it said about them), except they were too busy trying to keep Jay from blowing their cover. The older boy hadn't 'broken' down so much as shut down, and Mal was on the verge of something equally violent and terrible, and so the journey had mostly consisted of Carlos nudging and sometimes shoving Jay along the streets, while Evie muttered bits of gossip to Mal in an attempt to keep the other girl from exploding. Carlos wasn't so sure it would work; any of it. How were they supposed to accomplish anything like this? How were they supposed to live up to their parents' expectations of them (to Auradon's expectations of them) when they were barely living to begin with?

Ahead of them, Mal snaps her fingers, and Carlos freezes in place and only just manages to grab Jay's sleeve to keep him at his side. He tries not to think too hard on the way Jay flinches at even that slight contact, but the other boy's eyes are clear at least, even if he is glaring at Carlos.

"What are you grabbing at me for?" he snaps, and Carlos presses his lips tightly together and drops his eyes as he signs; touching the tips of his fingers to his temple in a flat palm before twisting his hand away; then touching the tip of his pinky finger to his cheek before pointing at Jay and fingerspelling 'O' 'K.'

[I wasn't sure if you were ok.]

"I'm fine," Jay growls, but the set of his jaw isn't right, his eyes flickering. "Don't touch me again."

[Fine.] Carlos signs in agreement, tapping his thumb to his chest in a 'five' handshape, eyes wide in what he hopes conveys his innocent intentions.

"If you're done acting like children," Mal actually growls in front of them. "Why don't you figure out how to get inside the building?"

Carlos looks up and realizes that they're just outside the Auradon Museum of History, and as he's marveling at just how huge the place was (he's fairly certain it could fit the whole of the Isle inside if they really packed in tight), Jay stiffens beside him.

 _"'Wonder if he's as soft inside as he looks on the outside?"_

"What did you just say?"

Carlos cringes back as Mal turns on Jay because while her voice spits fire and fury, her eyes flash fear and her jaw twitches defeat and he can't be the only stable one of the group right, he just can't.

"I didn't say anything," Jay says, blinking at her, but his voice doesn't sound right and there's panic lingering in the back of his eyes.

Mal stops short and stares a moment, and Carlos doesn't want to think about what that look in her eyes means. She brings her hands up to tug at her hair, jaw tight in a grimace and shakes her head, and Evie starts to shrink behind her; no doubt internalizing the obvious frustration radiating out from Mal in an almost visible wave.

"Fuck," she hisses sharply, and Jay squirms his shoulders like he's in pain, and Carlos cringes back even further, his jacket starting to swallow him. "Shit, we can't…This isn't going to work, why didn't… Carlos! Why didn't you tell me this wasn't going to work?"

"Mal," Evie tries to scold, but Carlos scowls and signs fiercely; bringing his hand into a flat 'B' handshape, forcefully closing it into a tight fist.

[Bull shit!]

Mal's eyes light with green but for once he stands his ground because he _had_ tried to tell her, or at least sign, that trying this now- right after everything with the Council, was a bad idea. But Mal was never the type to sit still when something was bother her…if she was able to, she would fuel that into creating a bigger blaze than the one she stood on.

"It'll work just fine," Jay snaps, and he's not squirming anymore but his teeth flash in a grimace that does nothing but prove Carlos' own point. "We're not actually doing anything, just seeing where it is, and if we stay out here any longer it's gonna get sketchy and I don't do sketchy."

"You're the definition of sketchy," Evie mumbles, but Carlos is the only one who hears, or at least, the only one who acknowledges it.

He signs again, pointing first to himself and then the others before sliding his thumb forward along the underside of his chin sharply; ending with a sweeping forward motion with both hands.

[We're not going!]

"We?" Mal repeats, brow lifting incredulously, and Carlos realizes, as she surely must be, that this is the first time they'd ever unanimously and openly disagreed her like this.

But he continues anyway; shaking his head in negative as he makes flat hand shapes, palms up and fingers splayed slightly. He starts to pull his hands towards himself, curling his fingers in a 'give me' kind of gesture, before twisting his hands outwards instead.

[We don't want this.]

"Well that's just too bad isn't it? You don't _want this_? We've all had to do things we didn't want to; that's how life works."

"Maybe," Evie interjects quietly, just barely making the needed eye contact to be a direct challenge. "But it's not how we work."

"It's how we work now," Mal snaps, eyes green and flames curling her fingers just as vicious as the snarl curling her lips. "If this is what it takes then this it what it takes but I am _not_ leaving until we've found that wand. So we are all going in, and I honestly don't give a shit if it's what you want. **_That_**...is an order."

"Yeah," Jay mutters, body and jaw tight with resistant even as he walks forward. "Yeah it fucking is."

"Carlos?"

He flinches, and there's a flicker in Mal's eyes that's not enough to lessen his fear, or the flames.

"Get us in."

He nods, because it's the only thing he can do. The only thing he's allowed to do, really. Jay curses, but sneaks to a side window and checks it, and the instant he's deemed it clear, Carlos works to disengage the frame. He hears Evie whisper some protest behind him, but it's stopped abruptly before it can finish, and he doesn't dare turn his head from his work to find out. Doesn't want to know. The window pops a moment later, and Jay eases it to the grass and leaps in first, disappearing into the dark.

"Are we in?" Mal snarls, and Carlos whimpers and cringes out of her way as she stomps up to the window.

Jay returns, expression a solid grimace, but he nods once and in seconds she's up and over the sill.

"In as far as we can be, anyway," Jay answers, and helps Carlos and Evie in after her.

Mal barely waits until their feet have touched the floor before taking off in the direction Jay had initially gone, her hair sending dim sparks cascading to the floor.

"What are you waiting for? Move."

The three of them exchange looks, and the grimace on Jay's face hardens further as he sets off.

"Obligatory that's what she said," he mumbles, and Evie just sighs and ties her hair up before following after.

 _No one else has a bad feeling about this?_

Carlos thinks, whimpering to himself as he obediently scrambles along behind. This wasn't going to end well, but not just because of the circumstances. It wasn't going to end well because right now that wasn't Mal leading them equally and fearlessly into a mission, it was Maleficent. And she was driving them all ruthlessly towards their doom.

* * *

 ** _Mal_**

They're lying on the roof of one of the Hun warehouses, watching the barrier change color for the night. Mal was betting they'll make it orange (it's always orange, a gross, muddy color that glows just enough to let you know where it is and nothing more. Auradon couldn't let them have too much fun could they) Daisha insisted they'll make it yellow or something equally bright and horrific. They're a disconnected pile of limbs; Mal not quite tucked into Daisha's side, but close enough that the other girl could still sneak past her guard to run her fingers teasingly along Mal's body when she wasn't paying attention: down her spine; across her shoulders; once (and only once) being bold enough to snake a hand up her leg. Mal had nearly shoved her off the roof for that, and Daisha had more or less been content to sit and stare at the barrier in silence.

When the darkness finally sinks into the full, depressing gloom of night, Mal crowed smugly when the barrier lightened to its usual, mud orange glow.

"I should have put money on it," she jeered haughtily, grinning down at Daisha to see the other girl staring up at her with her own smug smile, her eyes brighter under the barrier's unnatural glow. "What?"

"Nothing," Daisha shook her head, her arms crossed beneath it. "Just enjoying the view."

"Yeah, it's breathtaking," Mal scoffed, rolling her eyes and drawing one leg up to her chest. "I love the orange, really brings out the rot in the..."

"Wasn't talking about the barrier."

She whipped her head back around sharply to find Daisha staring up at her, a lazy sort of smile playing at her lips and an odd look of something like wonder in her eyes. Mal gaped a moment, own mouth falling slack in disbelief before she shakes her head, turning back to face the barrier again before she did something stupid.

"You're so weird," she said, her throat strangely tight as it spoke the words.

"Thanks."

"That wasn't a complement," Mal muttered back, face flushing in spite of herself. "And you really need to stop doing that."

"What? Complementing you?"

"Yes!" Mal snapped hotly, tugging her leg out of Daisha's reach as the other girl reached for it again. "This isn't Auradon!"

"Wait, really?" Daisha gasped, sitting up sharply with wide eyes. "That must be why there aren't any singing princesses around! I was wondering..."

"Daisha."

"Mal."

Mal shivered as the other girl mirrored her dark tone, her eyes unreadable in her suddenly stony face.

"We...we've talked about this," Mal tried, and Daisha barked a laugh without humor, the sound harsh and amplified with their height.

"No, we haven't done _shit_ ," she said, her voice almost as low a growl as her father's. "I've just acted while you pull away."

Almost to emphasis her point, Daisha trailed idle fingers along Mal's hip, earning a sharp flinch backwards and a growled curse of warning. The girl's lips twisted in a cruel imitation of a smile as she pulled her hand back to her side. "Every. Time."

"Are you trying to make me feel sympathetic?" Mal snarled, if only to cover the tremble in her limbs; the burn of bile in her throat. "You knew going in to...whatever...this...is...you knew that I didn't...that I couldn't..."

"Yeah well, just because you've experienced the worst the Isle has to offer doesn't mean that I have to be the one to pay for it."

It's not like a knife to the back, because she'd known it was coming, but the blow is painful and unexpected nonetheless.

Daisha sighed, a short, tight release of breath that just as easily could have been a laugh if it had a little more malice behind it.

"I didn't mean to say that."

"Is that your version of an apology?" Mal spat back, her throat tightening further and turning her words into an effective hiss. "Or are you trying to tell me that you didn't mean it, because that's just a cheap way out. You always mean it, that's why I- it's one of the things I..."

"Yes I meant it," Daisha said lowly, eyes dark and unreadable as they pierce into Mal's own. "I don't regret the words, just that I spoke them."

"And here I was thinking you were just making up excuses to get in my pants," Mal growled, turning away so her emotions couldn't be seen on her face.

"I regret it," Daisha continued, her voice dark and firm. "Because now you're hurt. And...I don't like that."

"Yeah, sure you don't," Mal muttered traitorously under her breath, both knees up to her chest now serving to muffle her voice, though not, unfortunately, muffle the pain.

"You know you're not the only one who's dealt with the horrible people on the Isle," the other girl snapped, and something in her voice made Mal look over on spite of herself, to be met with a bitter scoff. "Why do you think I'm always covering my face?"

She hadn't thought anything of it, but when it's drawn to her attention that way, now Mal was able to notice and reflect on the hooded mask the other girl always wore. Sometimes the hood would be lowered, but almost always arranged in such a way to conceal a portion of her face. She tugged the hood down completely now, and in the sickening glow of the barrier Mal could just make out a series of slashes running from just beneath the girl's eye to the edge of her jaw, in the distinct, unmistakable shape of claw marks.

"Shere Kahn," Daisha said, in response to Mal's uncertain look. "He likes to hunt in the deeper warehouses, it's like a new kind of jungle for him. He's always super pissed since Auradon took his claws, so he went and made some new ones for himself with our weapons. So guess who got to go track them down? Turns out that thing they say about not yanking tiger's tails is very true."

"Guess someone wasn't paying attention in class." Mal's voice broke halfway through the words, turning what might have been a lightheaded quip into something strained and hoarse.

"Almost lost the eye...that's what they told me at least."

"What, you don't know?" Mal mumbled, only half mocking, giving in to the tug of conversation and turning her body just enough to let the other girl know she was paying attention.

"Nah," Daisha drawled, tilting her head so the barrier reflected gruesomely off the wrinkled scar tissue near her right eye. "Was a little too busy screaming my way through the infection to notice anything else. They ended up having to tie me to the bed so I wouldn't claw the rest of my face off."

"That...sounds fun," Mal managed weakly, and Daisha's lips twitched without fully cracking her stoic expression as she lifted her hood once more.

"Oh yeah, it was. Sixteen year old me wasn't anywhere near as deadly and confident as I am these days."

"Ha," Mal deadpanned, before starting suddenly. "Wait...six- how...how old are you?"

"You're asking me this now?" Daisha replied, lifting a brow instead of answering.

"It's a valid question," Mal sniped back, her stomach churning again.

"It is," Daisha agreed, but her voice was back to that low rumble, and Mal couldn't see her face. "But not in this situation...not when you think that the answer means that this is just another power dynamic."

"Isn't it?"

"Now who's saying things they didn't mean to say?"

"That's not an answer. Or fair," Mal said, and even she couldn't quite tell if it was accusation or statement.

Daisha's eyes closed for a moment, and when they opened again they were no more readable, even with the barrier darkening the gold reflecting in them.

"Of course I'm older than you," she said softly, her voice shifting to something nearly a rumble, almost a croon. "My father was labelled the villain of his story long before you were even hatched, little dragon."

She must have seen the unamused look Mal shot her, because she sighed again, her smile strained.

"I'm eighteen, and you're going to turn sixteen eventually so I'd say you have nothing to worry about. But as I'm finding out that may not entirely be true."

It was a low blow, an attempt to get some kind of rise from her, but Mal knew that if she did that she might as well concede her defeat and she'd rather throw herself off the roof than do that.

"Is that what you think of me then?" The words were like chalk on her tongue, wringing the air from her lungs. "I shouldn't be surprised, I mean...I'm just a stupid child who's too weak and insecure…couldn't even fight off one pervert, never mind the fact that he was drunk and-"

 ** _*smack*_**

The sting of the actual blow registered before the fact that it had come from the girl beside her, but even before Mal could think to protest, Daisha was stealing her cry with a kiss. It wasn't overly deep or anything quite so sentimental, but it was more than enough to leave Mal entirely breathless when the other girl finally pulled away, gold eyes blazing with silent fury.

"First of all, you are not weak, not for _that_ and if I hear anything like that out of your mouth again I will not hesitate to hit you again. And second, if I really wanted, I could just take what I want from you; and we both know I could."

The words directly contrast the odd sincerity of the kiss, and Mal felt a cold shudder work its way down her back at them; at the sudden intensity with which the other girl had said them. It was a truth that was almost always in the back of her mind, but to hear it spoken so blatantly like that took over what little part of her brain was still rational enough to notice the emptiness of the threat; the almost foreign warmth in the other girl's eyes that she didn't dare to meet.

"But I said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not expecting anything from you…what I said earlier notwithstanding," Daisha continued softly. "Yes, it would be nice, but it's up to _you_. If you don't want me like that it's no skin off my back. I mean, I survived being mauled by a former tiger I think I can manage-"

"I do want," Mal blurted before her brain caught up to what her mouth was saying, her head lifting sharply from her knees.

Daisha blinked, and Mal could feel her face flushing again and quickly dropped her head again, fingers curling into her knees as she gripped them tightly.

"You. Like...like that," she mumbled shakily, the admission feeling like a betrayal, her insides twisting in panic. "It was never that I didn't...want you...I just...I can't-"

"And that's ok," Daisha whispered fiercely, and Mal blinked as she registered the warmth of the other girl's body, her hands gentle as they cup her head again.

But Mal shook her head sharply, effectively pulling away (again- why couldn't she just..?) because it wasn't ok. The other girl's words from before rang harshly in her mind, reminding her in no uncertain terms that it wasn't ok for Mal to just refuse….

As if reading her thoughts, Daisha's lips pursed, her brow furrowing and darkening her eyes. "It is, really," she murmured gently, her hands fidgeting in her lap in place of reaching for Mal again. "What I said was cruel and it wasn't fair of me to try and put that on you."

"Are you saying sorry now?" Mal choked out, if only to pretend that she wasn't affected by…everything about the other girl.

Daisha grinned slyly, eyes still warm and knowing as her fingers moved to brush a few strands of pale purple hair out of her face.

"Only if you say that you forgive me," she murmured, and though it might have just been another ploy at flirting, there was also something terrifyingly earnest in her eyes that made Mal's heart jerk uncomfortably in her chest.

"I'll do you one better," she finally said, letting what was hopefully an equally earnest smile creep onto her face. "And say that I've already forgotten it instead."

"Ha," Daisha laughed shortly, eyes bright enough that Mal could see the open relief in them. "Must be one of those 'other side of the Isle' things. Do I need to say anything special back?"

"Not really, no," Mal answered, suddenly unable to make eye contact. "But I uh...I did want to try something."

"Oh?" Daisha straightened, legs crossing beneath her. It was far too open a position, but before Mal could let herself think too much of it, she closed the gap between them, one hand on the other girl's knee for support while the other somehow managed to tangle itself in her hair. For a second, the other girl was entirely still, and Mal had just begun to regret her decidedly bold action when she felt Daisha move to meet her.

It wasn't quite like their first kiss had been, or, even, like the few that had followed after. There was something raw, and almost desperate about the way Daisha kissed her, as if she were trying to get as much of Mal as she could while she could; a sort of pressing urge for more in the way her hands came up, not to cup her face, but to slip beneath the hem of Mal's shirt...

She pulled away instantly, her body recoiling even as her own fingers fumbled blindly for a weapon.

"Easy." Daisha's hands closed firmly around her own, arresting her movement and keeping her from drawing her knife. "You kissed me."

"I'm sorry," Mal blurted, face painfully hot as she jerkily freed her hands.

"I'm not," Daisha said, and though her voice was still low, it wasn't accusing as Mal was certain it should be. "You actually kissed me that time."

"I thought I could," Mal whispered, her heart still trying to claw its way into her throat despite the obvious delight in the other girl's voice. "I wanted...I wanted to try..."

"And you did," Daisha said, in what might have been an encouraging tone but to Mal only sounded condescending.

"You don't understand!" she burst out sharply, chest heaving sickeningly with a breathy sob. "I have to at least try to...I owe it to you to try."

"Owe me?" In the mud orange light of the barrier she can see the brow lift on Daisha's face.

"For Carlos," Mal muttered grudgingly, back to clinging to her knees like the coward she was.

Daisha barked a short laugh that did nothing to put her at ease. "You owe my _father_ for Carlos," she said lightly, like that in itself was any better. "But you don't owe me anything that you don't want to give, little dragon."

"But-" Mal tried, and Daisha's eyes flashed, that familiar gold making its appearance as her features drew down into a scowl.

"No," she all but snarled, that particular Hun ferocity sharp in her voice. "Willingly or not at all. That's how this works."

She started to push back; to insist that such an idea was not only unheard of but impractical. That if that was what was wanted then her own feelings didn't matter and it was up to Mal to make Daisha to see that. That it wouldn't be the first time and that Mal really had no place to try and dictate the pace, or lack of pace in this odd and twisted game at a relationship they were playing. That this concept of required agreement on her part just didn't exist on the Isle; it wasn't a matter of sides it just didn't exist.

"One more word out of your mouth and I'll chuck you off this roof and don't you think I won't," Daisha said, and Mal couldn't help the rueful chuckle that escaped her at that.

"You'd rather risk my death than my discomfort?" She asked, and though Daisha's mouth smiled, her eyes were still strangely solemn.

"We both know it'd be more than just discomfort," she said softly. "But in answer to your question, yes, I'd risk it, because first off this roof isn't nearly high enough to kill you and second, I care about you too much to let myself be the one to hurt you like that. Again."

"I-" Mal blinked, and was startled at how hoarse she sounded, at the wetness pooling between her eyelashes. No one had ever come close to saying that they cared about her; about what they could do for her, maybe. What worth they had. And always, always what she could do for them. What worth she had. But to hear Daisha say that she cared about Mal as a person with actual wants and needs and fears and regrets…she didn't know exactly whether to laugh or just keep crying.

"Oh shut up, you don't have to say anything," Daisha chided gently, her own face significantly less pale as she casually brushed the tears away with the side of her palm. "Just sit and watch the barrier with me."

"Ok," Mal managed, that warm feeling back in her chest, an odd sense of security and…happiness? as she moved to do as she was told.

"Yeah?" Daisha said, almost as if affirming, and it was then that Mal noted the distance the other girl had put between them and that just wasn't ok.

"Yeah," she repeated, feeling vaguely more confident as she settled back down on the roof. "But…do you think…could you…hold me?"

"Yeah." The look that Daisha gave her was brighter than anything the barrier could have come up with. "I think I can manage that."

And just for that moment, Mal didn't think she needed Auradon to make everything go right for her.


	33. They say I'm evil (too close to the sun)

***shoves the lid off a giant stone coffin, sending spiders and other crawling things running from the depths* *slowly rises from inside, coughing dust and wiping cobwebs out of my hair, squinting and hissing at the light***

 **Ok, ok, my Halloween analogy is a bit late, but still. I'm not dead! *picks spider off sleeve and casually throws it as far away from me as possible***

 **And neither is this story! I got my old computer back and am in the process of salvaging everything from the hard drive, so all my stories and fics and 'real-life' work is ok.**

 **Massive apologies for the unintended hiatus, emergency family stuff, combined with nearly not passing my classes because of said family stuff, meant that this story kinda got buried in a crypt for a while. (Sorry, I'll stop with the spoopy jokes.)**

 **But I'm back, this story is back, and I promise I'm not going anywhere. Now that I've assuaged your fears, let's get to the reviews!**

 **As always, stay tuned for the Author's Notes!**

* * *

 **Hazminelol : Yass, and here's another update! Haha, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **WolvesRock14: Haha, be careful giving me permission to take breaks like that. I might just disappear again! ;P Hopefully not, but thank you for the encouragement regardless, it really meant and means a lot to me! :)**

 **Regarding your review; I'm so glad you like Isaac and my characterization of him. He's an interesting one because according to the OUAT wiki, he's incredibly selfish. Not evil, I thought it was interesting to note. Just, selfish, (perhaps fatally so?) although his actions tended more towards 'evil/villainous' and playing with the idea of alignments, I feel as though he tends more towards the neutral side of things. (Either true neutral or Neutral evil, still trying to work that one out, as his intentions are never to outright murder or cause harm, just tell a good story; which, I mean, I can relate to all too well. ;))**

 **So yeah, I'm so excited to finally have him in play and get to explore things from his perspective as both The Author, and what that means for what he's done/going through, as well as Carlos' father. Because now he can't just be selfish, now he's gotta think about someone else. But that's going too close to spoilery stuff so I'll leave him for now.**

 **I'm glad you liked my intro of Dizzy; she's also a fun one, especially in what she brings out in others, and I'm looking forward to exploring her relationship with the gang more as well. Aziz and Mal have more in common than they realize, haha, but I'm relieved that the lighter moment wasn't too out of place, considering all the darkness to come. I try and balance it out as much as possible, so here's hoping I'll keep succeeding.**

 **You can try and hug the VKs, but the majority of them will definitely cause you some kind of bodily harm for your efforts. ;)**

 **Robby the Cyber Warrior : Hey! Haven't heard from you in a little while, it was great to get your review! There are definitely a lot of people in this story worth paying for what they've done, though if it's any comfort to you, they have in fact, paid in full, and those who haven't yet- will. (But I can let you have them when I'm done, if that'd make you feel better? ;))**

 **I can't answer your question without spoiling, the most I can say is just keep reading, but I am glad you're enjoying everything in spite of the shit I put everyone through, and that you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **BlueMoon007 : I'm glad to be back, lol, even if it is after extended hiatuses. I'm really glad you enjoyed my introductions of Isaac and Dizzy. I definitely wanted them to feel familiar to their canonical selves and yet still entirely unique, hopefully I'll continue to succeed in that regard. :)**

 **Things are definitely going to be rough for a while; I'll definitely say we're getting into the thick of things now, though how much damage is done remains to be seen. More healing than damage, if that's comforting, although it will be a slow heal.**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Nyehhhhh : Thank you for you kind words! I'm so glad you're still enjoying this story, and that you'll continue to enjoy it!**

 **Gracfully : I'm glad you liked it! I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying! :)**

 **A1 : Sorry, didn't mean to make your name sound like a steak sauce, lol. It's just there is another reviewer using A as their alias, so to avoid confusion, for now you are A1. ;)**

 **Thank you for your review! To clarify your one thing, yes, Mal and Daisha are/were a thing. Your Malvie heart need not break, though your heart might break in one way or another regardless.**

 **EvietoyourMal : The repercussions will definitely be discussed, but I think for right now the biggest loss for Ben is Audrey. The Council's response is an intentional one, and I'm sorry if you felt it was somehow downplaying or disrespecting what the VKs have gone through. To clarify, they aren't comparing themselves to the VKs in a 'my trauma is bigger than yours' kind of way. More a 'trauma is complex and difficult to navigate and we should know that because, oh yeah, our trauma did/does exist, as well.' My attempted goal from this story is kind of like an ultimate 'fix it' in the sense that even the heroes we see aren't entirely as 'heroic' as they appear, and everyone needs to address the things they've experienced, because I felt it wasn't addressed enough/at all in the movies.**

 **But yes, it is being addressed now by the Council and by the VKs (though the VKs are addressing it kicking and screaming- literally, as it were) and I hope the wait for healing and growth wasn't too horrible! :)**

 **Guest 2.0: I'm really glad you like Mal and Daisha! I was afraid of how she/their relationship would come across and be received, but I'm happy to see you're enjoying it and her, even if it is in flashback form. I'm also really glad you liked how I introduced Dizzy. She'll also be making reappearances as I start to lay the foundations for D2.**

 **I hope you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **A : *carefully and gently puts your heart back together* There, there, A, it's ok, see? All in one piece again, (cue evil author laugh) perfect and ready for me to rebreak. (Kidding…partly. I sincerely apologize in advance for your heart.) –I'll look for your future reviews as A2, though you'll always be the OG 'A' to me. ;)**

 **Guest 1 : Thank you for the review! No, I am not officially crossing this fic with OUAT, just borrowing/stealing a character and sprinkling in some references for the purposes of fodder for my head cannon. :)**

 **Codelulu-chan : Thank you for the review and kinds words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and my pairings. Aziz and Mal actually have more in common than they realize, but for the time being, it's just a game of learning to understand each other.**

 **Guest 2 : Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm really glad you love this story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **FreaksDontSmile : Thank you so much for your kind words, as well as your interest in using my chapter as a kick off for your story! I had been intending to do a spin-off HP/Descendants story of my own, either as a series of one-shots or a full length using that particular chapter; however, I would be more than honored and ok with you using it for your own story, provided you credited me, and didn't directly copy what I did. That said, good luck and plentiful muses of inspiration to you if/when you go forward with the story! :)**

 **Regarding your review, I'm really glad you love Mal/Daisha, and I have to kind of chuckle because you are one in quite a few people who fear that something bad is going to happen. Whatever would give you the idea I was going to do something harmful to my characters? ;)**

 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy, and thank you again for asking about using my chapter! :)**

 **ceara1888 : Thank you for your review and the kind words! I'm sorry that it was confusing, I'd be more than happy to clarify anything you weren't sure about if you wanted to know. :) In Isaac's case, at least, he is meant to be a bit confusing, a kind of literal 'unreliable narrator,' if you will. Regardless, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **shikasprincess : Hello and welcome to the story! Feel free to make yourself comfortable.**

 **Thank you so much for your kind words, and your review. You are correct in that I haven't been developing everyone as well as I probably could/should be, and thank you for pointing it out to me. I am working my way through digging into everyone and sorting things out, both as a whole, and individuals, though right now at least plot wise, I'm laying the groundwork for Evie to start to come into her own. It's in how everyone responds to the falling apart that people's personalities grow/shine. I kind of keep forgetting that Doug exists (guilty as charged) but I agree in that he is going to be important for Evie/to Evie, and I think you make a good point as well in relation to Snow White/the dwarves, and I'll definitely make sure to address all of that when the time comes as well. :)**

 **Thank you again, and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **favorite Guest : Thank you for the review! Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, and if for some reason I were ever unable to finish this story, I would definitely let you guys know. But there's no need for that, we're finally getting into the good stuff; I ain't stopping this thing till it's done! ;)**

 **Random Reader : Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)**

 **FlatFox : Haha, thank you for the rousing support! Unfortunately, I don't believe I could get this published as there are copyrights in place, and I'm not sure I'd be allowed to publish this, but it means a lot that you think it could be! I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!**

 **Guest 3: I have updated!**

 **Eliza : I'm glad you like this story so much, don't worry, the update is here!**

 **Guest 4 : Thank you, I'm glad you loved it and I hope you will continue to love it! :)**

 **BlackRoseFire : Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Spark: Haha, thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much. In answer to your question, there will be some onesided Jaylos vibes given the nature of their relationship (that is, the canonical fact that Carlos used to/maybe still does have a crush on Jay) but outside of that, no, there won't be any Jaylos pairing, not in this story, at least. Sorry if that's disappointing, but I do hope that won't stop you from reading and enjoying! :)**

 **Tiredandlazy : Holy effing shit! Lazy, you have no fucking idea how good it is to hear from you again. (So good that when I got the notification that I had a review, and clicked and saw it was you, I legit had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming profanities in my place of work, as there were guests nearby who would not have appreciated me shouting things like "Holy Fuck you're alive!" and "Son of a bitch!" and "Holy fucking shit fuck!" etc.)**

 **As soon as I was safely in my car and away from overhearing people, I then proceeded to scream all those things and more, all in celebration of course. ;)**

 **That being said, you do not need to apologize or explain yourself to me 1) I have no right to judge being MIA, 2) I know exactly how lack of motivation due to sucky mental stuff feels (it *sucks*) and so if you need a hiatus, then take it, and know that I will always be here to scream joyful profanities when you return. ;)**

 **ANYWAY anyways, 'mystery' papa is indeed in the light, and I'm really glad you love his perspective and how I'm interpreting both 'the Writer's Brain' and 'the Author's Curse.' I'm also excited for more of his POV, both for that reason, and to have an added outside perspective of the VKs and just how things are working around them. As for Carlos' memory issues, well…they'll be explained….**

 **Audrey was definitely hard to write in that moment, because even I was kind of irritated with how 'easily' she seemed to flip on Ben and just skip off with Chad like, presumably, she and Ben would have had practically a life time together (it's kind of implied in the movie, or at least my understanding that it was kind of an 'arraigned marriage/longstanding relationship' type thing) and so I definitely wanted to figure out what was going on with her in that regard. My Audrey loves Ben, because of course she does, but she's a pretty strongwilled type of person, who has to use 'being shallow' as a defense mechanism/mask for all her ambitions and goals. (She's a total Slytherin, for sure) And so here she is with Ben, who isn't going to aid her ambitions, but will get her to her goal, which is a secured spot on a throne/in a position of power, to make up for the utter lack of power her kingdom currently is suffering from. (Maybe also stemming from how powerless she feels regarding her inability to keep her parents from divorcing? Oops, did I just psychoanalyze a bit?)**

 **Also, it's *winces* ok…if you haven't…seen themovies.**

 **Lol, no, it's actually fine, although I do recommend them because for all their lack of character development they're not all that bad. But yeah, I definitely was not going to accept that ditzy Dizzy…not by a long shot.**

 **(Also, I have no idea what you are talking about, I would never kill a chi- *the outline for this story flies in out of nowhere and smacks me in the face. I pick it up and glare at the muse who threw it, who glares right back and flips me off. I grumble and look down at the outline...* oh, right. Heheh, nevermind, ahem.)**

 **Lol, but seriously I love that you love Aziz so much! I choked when I got to that part of your review, mental clapping emoji and all! I did try and make it not too hard to guess who's phone Carlos has, but it's ok if you didn't get it right away. (Go back and read who the Contacts in the phone are, that might help some. If not, Ill PM you :))**

 **I agree, they're definitely an interesting pair, and there's a couple really good fics out there I've read that explore the romantic relation-ship really well. The AKs won't be going to the Isle, necessarily (in the Wicked World shorts they have for Descendants there's a spell gone wrong that ends up transporting Ben, Mal, Evie and Audrey to the Isle, but it doesn't do any justice for what things are actually like over there) but they will be learning more about what it's like.**  
 **Not sure yet if I'll incorporate that short into this story or simply explore it differently, but I do intend for more people to realize as you say, what a hellscape it is.**

 **As for Mal, the 'easiest' answer (heavy on the air quotes) is that internalized homophobia is a bitch. It's not so much that she 'had a girlfriend' in the traditional sense, because the Isle is far from traditional, but the core of Mal's struggle stems from constantly being told with words and with violence by the world/environment/people around her that any and all things 'gay' is wrong- wrong being such a mild word, here. (Ironic, for villains, but even they tend to adhere to the unspoken social code)**  
 **So she struggles even with Daisha to accept the relationship they have/had, especially given later events that will be revealed in flashback.**  
 **To have homophobia engrained so deeply into a person can be extremely hard to overcome, especially when it comes to coming to terms with/realizing your own sexuality. (Oops am I projecting?)**  
 **It's going to be a journey, and an incredibly painful one, especially given her past with Daisha and her feelings towards Evie in the present. But Aziz is definitely going to shine in that regard, as everyone starts taking those steps towards understanding and recovery. I'll PM you as well if you wanted to get a broader idea of what I'm going for, but that's the 'easy' answer, lol.**

 **I'm glad you like my song lists, it makes me happy when I see people take an interest in what inspires this story, and actually listen along in some spots to further feel things. :)**  
 **I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy, even if you can't always review! (alsoiloveagoodwedding! ;))**

 **blablabala : Welcome to fanfiction, we're all mad here! ;) Thank you so much for leaving a review, and for your kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!**

 **ThornyRose09 : Welcome to the story and thank you so much for the review and your kinds words! I'm really glad you're enjoying everything so far and that you like what I'm doing with the characters and the plot. It means alot to hear that. :) I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Nix : Hey Nix! It's good to hear from you. Sometimes it's your little reminders of just how long it's been that give me the extra kick I need to finish and post what I'm working on. :)**  
 **In this case, however, it wasn't simply a matter of time, but of family. That being said, I still always appreciate your reviews and hearing what you think! The reason the VKs (or, Mal at least) were making such a point to dig into what they'd been through was to elicit a reaction from the Council and sort of force them to feel guilt or some responsibility for what had happened. Auradon was making it a point to blame the VKs for their behavior as 'villains', so Mal took it upon herself in that moment to educate them on what true 'villainy' looked like from the kids perspective.**

 **I'm glad you like my music choices, lol, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)**

 **Guest 5:** **Well, I can't tell you that, unfortunately, as that would be a spoiler, lol, but I'm glad to see you enjoy Daisha's character so much, as well as her relationship with Mal. :) Ben is good for Mal in his own way, but I agree that, at least for this story, while he might be strong in his beliefs, he's not quite so strong in character/strong enough for Mal. But that's not to say he couldn't be in the future.**

 **I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!**

 **AllGlitchedUp: Oh wow, it's good to hear from you again! It's been a while! (I know, I'm one to talk, I just meant...I'm glad you're still haunting the place. Dang it I said I'd stop with the spoopy jokes!) ;)**

 **I've definitely not abandoned this story, and I'm glad you're still following along. I still check in and reread Detours from time to time. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy my story, and that hopefully I can continue to look forward to yours as well!**

 **Guest** **6: Thank you for the review and the kind words! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story so much, and that you like my idea of a Jay/Lonnie pairing. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy! :)**

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 **Author's Note 1:** **Alrighty, guys, I'm switching things up in that I'm giving you the **Super Important Author's Note** first.**

 **That is because this chapter contains some potentially triggering things and I want to make sure you are all informed. Last chapter's title might have been a hint, but I'm going to make it clear; 'apres moi le deluge' means 'after me comes the flood,' and I meant that in a very literal sense. This chapter, and the subsequent chapters, will be digging further into backstories and flashbacks regarding the things the VKs have gone through on the Isle.**

* * *

 ******In this chapter there is a slightly detailed instance of trigger/flashback; in which a character is triggered and recalls details of sexual abuse. There is nothing graphic, but it is still extremely intense and I wanted to make sure everyone was forewarned ahead of time!**

 **If you fear this might trigger you, or simply don't want to read/experience the scene in question, feel free to skip the _italicized section of Jay's POV in the beginning_! I've also placed markers for you as well. I won't be offended if you skip, I want all my readers to be safe and enjoy this story! :) ******

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 **With that in mind, the rest of the ***WARNINGS*** are as follows: Violence, Language; Implied/referenced child abuse and neglect; Mental health issues involving panic/anxiety attacks/dissociation; Referenced sexual abuse/assault; Implied/referenced suicidal thoughts and actions (nothing explicit/acted upon); Implied/referenced character death; Referenced abuse of a student by a teacher; Gang activity (mild/referenced); Implied/referenced/threats of death; Implied child abandonment; and Implications of Self-harm and non-graphic descriptions of injuries.**

* * *

 **Author's Note 2:**

 **(The fun one!)**

 **The songs that inspired this chapter are: Icarus by Bastille (title), Rotten to the Core (title), Fall for You (accoustic) by SecondhandSerenade, Black Flies by Ben Howard, Supremacy by Muse, Stockholm Syndrome by Muse, I don't by Koda, Fossa by Daughter, A Million Ways to be Cruel by OKGo, Shiver by Coldplay, Where is my mind? cover by Mindy Jones, and Dark Mal by Hans Zimmer, from the Inception Soundtrack.**

 **(I highly recommend listening to Dark Mal, I don't, and Supremacy specifically around/during Evie's POV)**

* * *

 **Alright then, you've waited long enough! Enjoy the chapter and I look forward to hearing what you think!**

 **\- Raven**

* * *

 _Look who's digging their own grave; makes their bed and lies down in it; look to the future and what do you have left?; Icarus is flying too close the sun; Icarus' life is just begun._

 **Jay**

It's not so much that he doesn't want the wand- it's that he wants it so badly it terrifies him. He wants that power, the control it will give him, even if only for a second. He wants the freedom- wants the _hands_ to go away- the voices and the whispers. He wants to just be Jay, not **_Jahaan_**. He wants to be more than just the son of Jafaar. He wants…he wants the world.

Sometimes he wondered if Jafaar had known that this would be his goal, and had named him with that in mind. **_Jahaan_ \- **_the World._ As if Jay would be the one to deliver it to his 'father' on a platter…no…in a lamp. The man had obviously given up on his expectations for his son too soon in life; he hadn't bother to teach Jay anything about his own world, never mind the one he was supposed to be inheriting. Taking over. He hadn't even recognized his name for what it was when his father spoke it, and so a tiny Jay had always introduced himself as 'Jayden.'

Jayden, he mused to himself as he climbed a twisting staircase, meant 'fire bird,' apparently. Carlos had been the one to tell him that; the other boy always obsessed with names and what they meant about a person's character. Or at least he had been in the beginning, before Cruella had gotten worse and tried to kill him with more passion, more intent. But he'd always liked the idea that his chosen name meant something so…magnificent. Jafaar would never have anything on him; never have justifiable reason to think he was so worthless. No, he wasn't destined to bring that man the world. He'd be the fire bird that burned him to the ground instead.

"There. That's the way to the wand."

That is, if he could get through Mal first.

He lifts his head to see where she's indicating, and notes the bright green eyes; the cold, feral smile. Unease roils in his stomach, and he sucks a soft breath and peers through the windows of the door before them. Inside is a round room full of displays; a podium at the very center holding an odd kind of wheel that registers as something he should know, but doesn't, and he dismisses it under the 'should have paid attention in class' portion of his mind. It's the screen behind the wheel he's interested in, a multicolored display of shiny, valuable things. His fingers twitch eagerly, and he glances sideways to the rest of the group.

Evie and Carlos remain stiff and quiet, Carlos' fingers twisting the dog tail on his belt into a ragged mess. Evie's arms are crossed, her shoulders hunched ever so slightly. It's not noticeable, to anyone who doesn't notice, but Jay _notices_ and so he's able to pick up on the terror and unease tightening her body. He peers back into the room of displays and locks onto the unnaturally red apple projected on the screen; notes the distinct jagged curve of a bite mark.

Oh. Another look reveals what he knew at sight to be the cause of Carlos' anxiety; a fur cloak, thick and rugged, distinctly spotted and stained with red on the inner lining.

Mal it seemed, was the only one unaffected by the sight of the thin, dark rod of lethal wood; directly contrasting his father's own, twisted, serpentine metal. In fact it seemed she only truly had eyes for the wheel in the center, her grin widening even further as she jerks her head towards it pointedly. His eyes follow hers to a plaque to the object's left, and he can't help the laugh that slips past his lips because-

" _That's_ your mother's spinning wheel?"

Carlos lifts his head curiously at that, then meets Jay's eyes with a giggle of his own.

[It's so small.] He signs, indicating the wheel before bringing his hands together like he was cupping something tiny inside them.

"It's magic," Mal snarls, though her cheeks are flushed slightly. "It doesn't have to be big."

"Heh, that's Jay's line," Evie murmurs, smirking over at him wickedly, and he wants to launch back an equally scathing retort of his own except movement flickers in the corner of his eye.

"Guard!" He hisses instead, and they flinch back away from the door instinctively, Mal's hand flying to the letter opener at her waist. They crouch, tense and anxious, hardly daring to breathe as the sound of footsteps echo from the room beyond. Jay tilts his head and listens, counting, then nods once he picks up the pattern.

"Left," he breathes, and Mal nods once, eyes dark and solemn.

He takes the lead, and they inch their way around to the left as the guard's steps continue to tromp their pattern further into the room they'd been intending to inhabit. As they crawl, Jay's eyes flicker constantly, taking in the signs and banners hanging on the walls. He imagines that it would be interesting to actually take a tour of this place; with exhibits like 'Weapons through the Ages' and 'The Great Lineages' and even 'Arms and Armor,' it promised a good time. At least, if they weren't trying to be stealthy. And in the midst of a plot to take over the kingdom and kill everyone in Auradon. Something about that thought pinches hard enough that he feels more than vaguely uncomfortable, but before he can fully process it, the click of the guard's footsteps stops and he has a job to do.

"Clear," he murmurs, and they stand, soft exhales of relief filling the air around him. They're in front of a different door now, but when Jay looks in he can see the guard lounging in a chair, his back to them and eyes on the screens.

Mal grins and pulls her spell book from her pocket. It takes less than a second for her to flip to a page, and her eyes light with more than just magic, her fingers ghosting over the words as she speaks them.

"'Prick the finger, prick it deep; send my Enemy off to sleep.'"

She say the words slowly, and so Jay is able to take in every lilt and drawl of her voice, the way it seems to both curl around him and stab right through him; the way he feels cold in the pit of his stomach even as warmth seems to wrap around his body. He feels a dull jerking sensation in his shoulder, and his hand lifts weakly, but it drops back to his side before he can get it to the door. It must drop harder than he'd thought, because there's a dull thud, and then he blinks and realizes that it's the guard that had fallen; keeled over at the base of the podium.

Then he realizes that _he'd_ nearly followed the man's example…and he doesn't _want_ to think on what that might mean but finds himself doing it even as he stoops and starts picking the lock. It rattles instead of clicks, however, and Mal swats him none too gently on the back of the head.

"Idiot," she hisses, and he _flinches_ then instantly hates himself for it. Hates her for it. "Your hands are shaking. Carlos. Open the damn door."

Carlos' whole body is shaking, but his hands are steady enough to accomplish what Jay had not, and the door clicks easily and swings open when the boy gives it a tentative nudge. In lieu of any sort of acknowledgement, Mal lunges and is through in moments, snarling: "Let's go!" as she vanishes on the other side.

A hand on his shoulder keeps Jay from following- or maybe he'd just been hesitating anyway. He turns into Evie's grim expression; Carlos' frantic concern.

[Did you feel that?] Carlos signs; brows raised as he points to Jay; then makes a flat palm shape, fingers spread and middle finger pointing towards his chest; he brushes his finger upwards a couple times before ending with a gesture towards the wheel.

Jay frowns and crosses his arms, but Evie sets her jaw and he feels another sick lurch in his stomach in realization.

"You…you felt…"

"Like suddenly I wasn't worth the air keeping me alive and that there was a very convenient spinning wheel right over there to help with that?"

" _Shit_ , E," Jay hisses, but it's nothing like Mal's venom. Just shock and horror, the sick feeling in his stomach increasing even as Evie works her jaw silently and Carlos refuses to make eye contact as he tilts his head in some kind of agreement.

"Sorry," she says, but it's a tight snap more than a genuine apology. "Did _I_ suddenly make you feel uncomfortable? You're saying you don't think-"

"Mal's gone too far," he finishes, lifting a brow but not his lips, which curl further downwards into a snarl. "Yeah, I'm not saying _that_ ; I'm saying where does she get the fucked up idea that _we_ 're her enemies?"

Evie's mouth twitches into something horrific and pained and only just resembling a smile.

"I don't know," she murmurs softly. "Why don't we go find out?"

When they catch up to Mal, she's muttering and wringing her fingers in front of a rather ominous looking archway. There's no light from beyond to indicate what they might be walking into, though Jay suspects, given the way the walls curve to give way to a wall of darkness, that it's a tunnel of some sort.

"Fucking finally," Mal snarls when they reach her, and her eyes snap the same sparks her fingers do. "Let's _go_."

"Mal," Jay barks right back, straightening his shoulders and stepping forward.

"We're close," she hisses, eyes on the tunnel. "I can feel it."

"Mal. Stop."

She jerks at the tone in Evie's voice, and when she turns it's all Jay can do to stand his ground. She's every bit the dragon in that moment, eyes bright and promising violence; violence that he _knows_ somehow, that she won't hesitate to deliver.

"I thought I made it clear that we weren't stopping until we found that wand," she says, and her voice is soft and made all the more dangerous for it. "So why are we stopping?"

"We're stopping because you're being more than just a bitch about this whole thing," Jay says, and behind him, Carlos makes an uneasy sound in his throat and even Evie cringes beside him as Mal's glare intensifies. "Because that old bat was right and you're acting just like Maleficent."

Mal's lips part and twist, a sharp noise like a laugh splitting the air between them. " _I'm_ acting like…no. No, the exact opposite, really."

"Really?" Jay growls, letting his own features twist to match her own. "Then what do you call intimidating and forcing us to do what you want against our will, and then threatening us with magic when we don't comply?"

"I _never-_ " Mal snarls, and Evie makes a choked noise and shifts forward, but Jay catches her because if anyone's going to take the brunt of this it's going to be him.

"Just now…your _spinning wheel_. 'Send my enemy off to sleep,'" he says. "And suddenly I've got my hand halfway to the door thinking how nice it would be to sleep forever."

Mal goes so pale so fast he thinks it's a wonder she doesn't keel over. Then she does stagger, but he's not quite at the sympathy level yet, so she ends up catching herself against the brick behind her.

"Fucking hell," she whispers hoarsely, eyes wide enough that he imagines he can see right through them; see the horror as it spreads its way across her face. "That's not…that shouldn't have happened to…son of a _mother._ "

"Apparently not having the same goal as you counts for being an enemy," Jay spits, and Mal jerks like she'd been struck, head lifting sharply.

"That's exactly what she would do," she mutters. "That's exactly who she'd consider her enemy. And of course the magic wouldn't take _my_ words the same way because it's…it's _her_ spell."

"Sure," Evie murmurs right back, her voice cold. "Blame the magic for making us want to kill ourselves by spinning wheel."

"E…."

"Don't." Evie's voice is so sharp even Jay flinches back from it. "Just. Don't."

"You don't…you don't get it," Mal whispers, and there's an odd flicker in her eyes even as her jaw tightens. "I'm trying to avoid that. I swear I really fucking am."

"Some job of it," Jay hisses bitterly, his own body stiffening in further resentment. "But I guess it's what we should expect. I mean, you only recruited us for your gang in the first place based on what power we could get you. Isle…Auradon…location doesn't matter."

That flicker behind her eyes spikes sharply, and Jay recognizes it for what it is and blinks, stunned.

No, Mal says, or rather, her lips say, but the sound doesn't come out. Then she freezes, in a more literal sense as her shoulders tighten and jaw sets; any further flickering settled into a hard mask.

"You're right," she snaps, resolutely turning her back on them. "It doesn't matter. We're almost to the wand and _none of this_ will matter then."

None of it, Jay agrees, exchanging pained and borderline mutinous looks with Carlos and Evie. That was good to know. It would make him feel better about…whatever it was he was about to do.

The tunnel, as it turned out, led out into a larger sort of hall, and the banners that hang here are only just dimly lit for display. The colors are darker as well; blacks and reds and greens and blues that bring to mind the depths of the ocean or the pits of flame more than the sky blue of Auradon. It makes him feel…like he was back on the Isle. More than that…like…like….

He doesn't know why he keeps following Mal when every part of him wanted to run; wanted to curl up small where he couldn't be found…where **_he_ ** wouldn't find him.

But follow he does, and follows Carlos after him, and Evie after Carlos, and so Jay is the first (second to Mal) to see the title hovering above them.

Hall of Villains

"Mal!" he hisses, as a flash of red, no… _crimson_ suddenly lights in the corner of his eyes. She turns, and her own eyes do that flicker again, her expression falling in realization.

"Oh."

" _Oh_?!" Jay snaps, fighting the tug of morbid curiosity; the urge to turn his head and  see….the **hands** that start to snake their way along his body. "You waltz us through the Hall of our parents and all you can say is 'oh?'"

"Jayden," Mal snaps back, but her eyes aren't on him; they're looking past him, and Jay groans because he'd known they weren't going to get out of this unscathed. He'd just really been hoping for it.

Carlos was pale and rocking anxiously on the balls of his feet, cowering at the feet of Cruella de Vil. The woman stood tall in a pose of something resembling superiority, if it weren't for the vacant look on her face and the way her hands seemed to be reaching for something she couldn't actually see. Given the fact that Jay had seen that exact expression on the woman's face before, he gave Auradon a thumbs up for realism, even as he cursed at Carlos' reaction to the statue.

The small boy crouched with his back to her, his fingers fidgeting…no…signing…Jay can't quite make it out, but it repeats- the same thing over and over, and just as he's realizing that it's not a sign but a _name_ , Evie lets out a soft whimper on his left. He jerks and spins to her, his own breath catching in his throat at the sight of Grimhilde towering over her daughter; her regal face cold and twisted in disgust.

Evie is standing, but only just- having been on the verge of collapse himself he recognizes the tremble in her body, the tightness of her breath and the way it rattles ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, her hands shaking as they clutch at her arms, head down and shoulders bent. "I'm sorry."

He flinches hard because he _knows_ that posture; every minute detail of that pose etched into his nightmares. It was submissive Evie; the Evie that could never be the _Evelynn_ her mother wanted her to be; it was Evie at her very lowest; the Evie he would find sobbing and broken, bleeding in back alleyways.

"Why?"

That was Mal.

Jay nearly trips as he wheels to her; his stomach threatening to revolt at that point; the _hands_ crawling just a little higher up the back of his neck. Mal stands before the figure of her mother at least, but it's hardly a firm pose. Her eyes are literal fire; a parallel to the same green flames that writhe and burn their way up and down her arms. Together they make a direct contrast to the _tears_ staining her cheeks; the anguish twisting her expression and making her somehow smaller than the woman who birthed her.

"What did she….What did _I do_?"

"Mal," Jay croaks, but her gaze is solely for Maleficent; the flames rising to her shoulders now even as she lets out a broken sob.

"How could you?" she whispers. "Why couldn't I just have her? Why did it have to be _you_?"

"Mal!" Jay tries again, desperate now, but she's gone…he's gone…lost…dragged under…under the weight of…of **him.**

warning here

 _When he opens his eyes, it's not his father before him, but a room. It's the kind of room that brings to mind warehouses and back alleyways and other sketchy and dark things, though he's not sure exactly why. For all intents and appearances it was a simple room…bedroom._

 _Bedroom?_

 _"Fuck, they keep getting younger and younger."_

 _He whirls so hard he feels the twinge in his neck, but he doesn't care. That voice…he knows…that woman._

 _"Well I think that_ is _the point, isn't it?"_

 _He flinches. He knows her, too…pain. She was pain. And the other…_

 _"Doesn't mean I have to like it."_

 _He can't breathe. Something's touching his neck something's around his throat around his waist and he can't he doesn't he doesn't he_ doesn't _._

 _"He's squirming too much (Fizo)."_

 _Be good now behave be good or this will_

 _"(Odyni)."_

 _No don't please sorry he's sorry he won't pleasedontpleasedontpleasedont_

 _Screaming. Someone was screaming._

Jay.

 _Who?_

Jay.

 _No. Boy._

Jay!

 _Good boy._

Open your eyes Jay. Where are you Jay?

 _Bad boy._

Where are you Jay?

 _Such a bad boy what a good…fuck._

Open your eyes damn it! Tell me what's real.

Real? What's…solid. Real is what's solid…hard. No! No he doesn't…he doesn't want he can't he _doesn't_ he _doesn't_ he _doesn't want…._

"Jay, you have to stop…you have to _breathe_ , Jay!"

He _couldn't_ breathe he couldn't _breathe_ that was the point, Evie!

*safe*

Evie?

"Evie."

"Yes."

She sounds…crying?

Had she been crying?

"Yes, just keep breathing, Jay."

"Am I…I'm…dead…Or something?"

"N-o."

She makes it a two syllable word, and he doesn't believe her. He feels like he'd died. Or close to it, anyway. Every part of him feels…raw…stretched too…he feels…twisted.

"Fucking _finally!"_

Mal?

"Open your eyes, asshole, we have to move."

"Mal. Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you heard me so I'm not saying it again. Just give him a second."

"A _second_? We don't have a fucking second because his little breakdown means we're going to get caught, and I for one, would like to not have that happen."

"Of course that's all you care about here so why am I surprised?"

Both of you shut up, he wants to scream.

I'm fine, he also felt like adding.

But everything was disjointed and off, and he thinks that if he actually tried moving he'd fall to pieces, and his body wasn't his to move, and his skin wasn't his peel off, but he really _really_ didn't want to be inhabiting either of those things at the moment.

"Where are we?"

"Auradon. We're in Auradon, Jay, I promise."

"Ok," he says slowly, and the relief is like a physical wave, his body tingling with the force of it. "I just…had to be sure."

"Great. Got that out of the way. Now _open your eyes_ so we can get the hell out of here."

"I…I can't do that."

"Fucking shit I can't do this right now."

"Then don't," Evie says, though her voice is low and hoarse, and he doesn't like the sound of it at all.

"Jay, you need to calm down and open your eyes," Mal says again, and she must be shaking, he thinks, because her voice isn't set in its rhythm; wobbling all over the place.

"I am calm," he manages, his throat too dry and tongue too thick to form the words with ease. "I'm…I'm ok…I think."

"Yeah? Well you need to know, dumbass. Open your eyes and then I might believe you."

" _Mal_."

"Where are we?" Jay asks instead, because she was right, he _did_ need to know. There's a strange humming in the air; like static in a storm, working its way into his mind and making him feel even more on edge. He gropes around and shivers at the cold his fingers brush against. "Am I on the floor?"

"We're all on the floor," Mal drawls, her voice the tight and cheery note of sarcasm. "Since you decided to start screaming, there's a fuck ton of guards looking for us now. So yeah. The floor is cold, but I'd be more than happy to warm it back up for you."

"What's that noise?" He mumbles, turning his head towards it, his cheek against the cool tile.

"Noise?" Mal snaps, and he can tell she's impatient, but also…afraid? He doesn't know why she would be, but there's a high note in her voice that she always got when she was. "There's no noise, Jay."

"Like…humming," he says, squinting with his cheeks but not quite sure if it was real enough yet to open his eyes. If he was truly real. "Music," he decides, lips pressing tightly together between syllables. "It's like music."

"There's nothing, Jay." He hears the anxious snap of Mal's fingers, feels the tickle of sparks against his skin that echoes the sharp, tickling breath she takes.

He flinches on instinct even as his mind registers that the spark had been _warm_ and not burning…not searing…not…marking…..

warning

 _His breath catches in his throat and he grits his jaw as hands grab tightly to the back of his neck; fingers slipping across his cheeks; his jaw; his lips…._

 _He wants to scream again but he knows if he does…knows if he does…knows if he does…._

 _"You're scaring him, Fizo," **he** croons lowly, his hands patting the side of Jay's face. "This is supposed to be the fun part. Come on now…good boy…open…."_

 _**_ safe**

"…your eyes, Jay! Look at me…dammit. Jay, _please_!"

He's on the floor, he tries to remind himself, even as bile burns the back of his throat and he pitches forward to heave desperately against the cold surface. He's in Auradon and he's on the floor and he's safe he's with he's with he's with….

"At me, Jay. Open your eyes and look at _me_."

He recognizes that pitch in Mal's voice as panic, but he also registers that there'd been a command in there somewhere too, and Mal got even more pissy if he ignored those and he's not entirely sure why he cares but he can tell that _she does_ and so he shudders and heaves and if he does this he's dead if he does this he'll be seen and if he does this-

"Hey, there you are." Evie's face is the panic he'd heard in Mal's voice; her eyes only just relaxing when he finally manages to meet them. "There you are Jay."

"About time you decided to join us," Mal snaps, but her own eyes read concerned even as her lips curl dismissively. "You think you can sit up too or am I gonna have to drag you out of here?"

No, he thinks, desperately. No because that would mean she'd have to—

"Don't fucking touch me!"

He's not sure how or when, but his hands are up, and he's shrunken himself on the floor, and Mal is looking at him like…like…he's not sure. But his whole body tingles and his skin feels itchy and raw, and there's a pressing sort of _warning_ screaming in the back of his head that he knows without question he can't pay attention to.

"Alright, calm down, idiot," Mal says, and her voice is low but it still shakes, and Jay doesn't know how they ever thought…. "I'm fine to just sit and watch you fail at functioning too if that's what you want. But again, the guards are also kind of an issue so unless you get the fuck up right now…."

"I am up," he growls, and then blinks because he _was_ up, and he didn't think he was supposed to have done that.

There's a shimmering something in front of him and he decides to focus on that instead of…everything else…watching the ripples and currents and counting them out as he tries to catch his breath. Had he been running? No…if they'd been running they would have found a better place to hide than here: out in this open circle, with nothing but the wall and open floor beneath. He thinks he knows what he's done, but to admit that he'd _done_ something would mean claiming that he'd had control of his body, and that wouldn't have been possible because….

"Oh well thank fuck," Mal sighs, and it's an actual sigh, complete with a heavy shudder that makes him wonder at both her sincerity and his own position. "We have to move."

"Yes, you've made that clear," Evie snaps, and while Mal's jaw clenches and her eyes go dark, Jay flinches because Evie _never_ spoke to anyone like that, let alone Mal.

"What…?" Jay begins, then stops because he realizes with a jolt just what he'd been looking at, and he doesn't know how he hadn't registered it before.

The wand hovers in the air a few feet in front of him, separated only by a sheen of twitching light and warmth. He blinks and tilts his head, and the hum he'd heard before resumes, just slightly dulled. Another moment, and he realizes it's coming from the shimmering itself, and he wonders if he'd be breaking the rules by touching it. He wouldn't technically be moving from his spot, Jay reasons, even as his stomach twists at the thought of the pain he'd receive if he was caught. He'd just be moving his hand….

"Jay, what are you doing?"

He jumps, lurching backwards and just barely keeping his feet, body lighting with agony. "I didn't move!" he cries, lifting his hands in a vain attempt to stave off the blows. "I didn't!"

Then he blinks, and Mal is staring at him like she wants to hurt something, and Evie is staring at him and Carlos and they were all staring and why were they staring what did he do?

"I didn't," he mumbles weakly. Then he grimaces as his stomach twists because he wasn't weak they had no right to look at him like he was he wasn't pathetic he wasn't weak he wasn't broken. No matter how much it felt like he was.

"It's ok if you move, Jay," Mal finally says, and he doesn't know why but he doesn't quite trust her. "We're all going to have to move…to leave the museum."

Museum? But his father…he'd seen Jafar, hadn't he? He knew he had because his back was burning and he could never avoid a beating whenever he was in his father's presence. But then why did it feel wrong? Why did he feel wrong?

He knows he's missed something, but he can't comment on it because Mal was giving a cue; and he's pushing himself forward onto the balls of his feet; and Carlos is leaning into his side as he moves to copy Jay's pose; and Evie is muttering curses and other mutinous things under her breath; and in front of him Mal's shoulders stiffen further and further and he thinks he's going to explode again.

"Check the upper levels!"

The shout comes from the…room? Had they been in a room? They must have, Jay reasons, because they're in a hallway now and the voices are behind them, so he keeps a hand on Carlos' shoulder, and focuses on the tight rocking motion of Mal's shoulders as she creeps along in front of him.

"Nothing here!"

"False alarm then?"

"Some kids from the school thinking they're clever, more like."

"Gods I hate royal brats sometimes. Always think they can get away with crap cuz they're _soo_ important."

"I'll call it in then. Damn…"

Jay can't quite multitask between tracking the voices and tracking the movement of his own body, and he still isn't quite sure it's _his_. Tracking the voices is easier, and at least vaguely entertaining, and so he does that instead until there's nothing to track, and then he realizes it's because the voices had stopped, and that they were back on the first floor of the museum, a few halls down from the window where they'd come in.

"Jay, go," Mal snaps, and he jumps at the sound of her voice but hurries to move ahead, hands jerky as he grabs at the fallen window.

Carlos is through before he's gotten his fingers around it, and Evie isn't far behind. Mal pauses just long enough to give him a look, and then he's jumping through after her, securing the window methodically behind them.

"Well," Mal huffs as they make their trek back through the streets. "Way to go, Jay. Now we have to go back to school tomorrow."

* * *

The real trouble starts when they get back to the dorms. No sooner does the door close than Carlos throws himself towards his bed, retrieving his phone from the cushions and diving under it with barely a whine. Jay feels strangely heavy, and thinks that maybe collapsing on top of the bed wouldn't be such a bad idea except Mal makes a noise behind him, and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Don't you dare!" she cries, and it's another odd noise that follows her words, this time from Evie. "You stay right there, E."

Jay isn't quite sure at first what he's seeing, only that Mal is pointing and her eyes are fire etched against tear stained cheeks, and Evie whimpers where she stands frozen before her, body only just beginning to make a turn.

"Mal," Evie whispers, and her voice is hoarse and _terrified_ , and her body trembles but doesn't move, and Jay's stomach clenches when he realizes it's because she **can't** _._

"Mal," he echoes lowly, wobbling closer and trying to ignore every instinct that told him to run; that told him to hide; that told him to fight. "Let…let her go."

Mal shakes her head, the tears doing nothing to dull the fire still burning in her eyes. "I can't," she chokes out, head still shaking. "I'm sorry…hate me all you want but I can't. I'm not losing you…to this…any of you."

Her head tilts as if pleading for understanding, but Evie's own chin lifts, her expression hardening even as she trembles.

"A little late for that, I think," she says, and Mal's lips twitch oddly, the fire suddenly dim.

"No," Mal murmurs, arm lowering to her side where her fingers snap once, sharply. "Not quite."

"Lose us?" Jay repeats as he stumbles forward to catch Evie when she staggers. It pulls at some vague reference in his mind, and when he places it he blinks and looks up at Mal. "Like…like you lost 'her?'"

"What?" Evie snaps, skeptic and pained, but Mal's lips curl back in a tight grimace, the sharpness in her eyes doing nothing to hide the sudden haunted look behind them.

"What?" she repeats, and Jay steadies Evie (steadies himself) and nods his head as he remembers.

"You…the museum," he manages, fingers still holding Evie tightly. The dangers of her falling have passed, but he feels like he might if he doesn't have something to ground him. And, despite himself, he recognized Mal's desperate intention and feared what Evie might do if he did, in fact, let go. "Maleficent," he continues. "…you said…something. You said… ' _her_.'"

He shivers, his mind struggling to piece it all together. There had been something said, he knows, but there's a desperate, frantic part of him still fighting to pull away, and he knows that if he kept digging into it, it would be the death of him, somehow.

"I said a lot of things," Mal growls, and her voice is hard but her eyes are still hollow. "Most importantly that none of that mattered, so don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" Evie hisses, and Jay winces and peels himself away from her because he needed her to be _steady_ and if she went down so would he. "Is that your new life motto now, 'don't care and don't worry'? Because we don't matter unless we're useful?"

"Gods and Hades," Mal snarls, hands flinging out at her sides and sending a cascade of heat, sparks and flames to the floor. "Of course you fucking _matter_! That's all I've been trying to do...trying to _say_ …even though fuck knows I suck at saying."

"You suck at doing, too," Evie mutters, still so cold in contrast to Mal's heat.

"I know, believe me I fucking _know_ ," Mal snaps back, pacing a short line and showering more sparks. "If I was any good at doing we'd have the wand and there'd be no need to worry. But we _don't_ have the wand and now there's all the more need to worry because my mother is expecting nothing less than our success and none of us has any kind of handle on our shit and I can't keep _doing_ _this_."

Beneath the bed, Carlos stutters over a broken sob, and Mal echoes it a bit more harshly, hands flying up to tangle sparks and flames into her hair.

"Son of a bitch I can't," she chokes out, and Jay thinks he agrees with her sentiment. "I _can't_ , ok? I can't lose you because of this."

"Don't worry," Evie says thickly. Darkly. "You didn't."

By the time Jay realizes that the door slamming shut meant that Mal had gone, it was too late to do anything to stop her. And then he realizes that he hadn't, in fact, wanted to stop her, but it was too late for that, too. And he thinks that maybe he wasn't supposed to bring anyone the world, and that maybe he was meant to be the one to burn his own world down instead.

* * *

 **Jane**

The last thing Jane had been expecting at…2 am…was the sight of Mal screaming herself hoarse in the girl's dorm bathrooms. And yet here she was; and there Mal was, and never had Jane regretted anything more in her life. The look on the older girl's face was more than just anger; it was anguish and loathing and regret all rolled in to one, gut-wrenching scream that continued to ring in the bathroom walls even after it finally tapered off into equally gut-wrenching, breathless sobs.

It was…strange. To see Mal, the feared and ever infamous daughter of Maleficent, cry. Jane supposed that, logically, it wasn't odd because the girl was (more or less) human, or at least, a living being with feelings and a soul. It was just that it had never really occurred to her so strongly before, and then she remembers how she met Carlos and how he'd exceeded her expectations for a VK…and she was just about to wonder if she'd been thinking this harmfully towards the other VKs too when she notices that Mal is staring at her, and she rapidly takes several steps back towards the door.

"Um," Jane squeaks, trembling as she tries to interpret that look in the girl's eyes and hoping it didn't mean anything evil.

"Jane," Mal says slowly, wiping her face with the sleeve of her sweater. She says it like she's making sure she has it right, and Jane manages a tiny, terrified laugh.

"Yeah," she whispers, not daring to move closer despite no obvious signs of imminent danger. "That's me."

Mal glances her up and down once, then instantly looks away, and while a part of Jane knows and _hates_ that dismissiveness, the other part of her narrows in on the way Mal tugs at the ends of her sweater's sleeves; the way her whole body was curled into a corner beneath the vanity sink, as if she'd just taken a beating, or was expecting one. The way she wouldn't _look_ at Jane, and while she was no stranger to being ignored, she was also no stranger to that particular quirk; that fear that if you looked at someone while in the midst of breaking down, it would just make it worse.

And so instead of fleeing for her life as she should have wisely done, Jane takes a careful step forward and asks:

"Are you ok?"

Mal looks at her then, and Jane flushes, wringing her hands and anxiously tugging at the bow in her hair.

"I mean, you're obviously not since you're…you know…but um, I just thought. I just thought…I'd check and make sure. And not like to be…cruel or anything, I'm not like…um…um…."

"Not like me?" Mal finishes, and the harsh sound of her voice makes Jane cringe.

"No?" she whimpers, and Mal exhales sharply in what might have been amusement if this were in fact, a situation worth being amused by. "I'll just…I'll just go then."

And she's turning to make her retreat when she _feels_ a tug in her gut, which is directly preceded by Mal's desperate cry of:

"Don't go!"

There's a brief flutter that she recognizes as her own magic, but there's also a much more powerful magic that pulls at her; demands her attention; demands her to _stay_. She turns slowly, and the tug gets stronger, a wild, dangerous, thrilling sort of **force** that draws her back towards Mal.

Then Jane blinks, and Mal blinks, her hand falling limply back to curl around her body once more, eyes pained and yet somehow, distant.

"That's new," Mal murmurs, and while Jane was inclined to agree (she'd never felt magically compelled by someone before) there was also a sense of familiarity in the other girl's magic that should have felt foreign and evil.

"Um," is all Jane can think to respond, and the pain in Mal's eyes grows, a twitch of regret pulling at her lips.

"Sorry," she rasps lowly. "Didn't mean to do that. I'm always doing things I don't mean."

"It's…"

"Don't bullshit me like that," Mal snaps weakly before she can even finish. "Or yourself. It's not ok."

"Ok," Jane mutters, then she winces as she realizes what she said, realizes that Mal is looking at her again, and there's definitely a bit of disdain there now.

"What are you even doing here?" the girls asks, shifting her legs tighter into her body so Jane can see the too-thick-too-big-too-black boots she's wearing. "Isn't a bit late for princesses to be out and about?"

"First off, I'm not a princess," Jane snaps back, then realizes that she'd _snapped_ and nervously starts unraveling the bow in her hands. "And second, I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm having an existential crisis, what does it look like?"

"Like you're not ok and need someone to talk to," Jane responds immediately, even as the velvet ribbon gives between her fingers.

"Ha," Mal chuckles half-heartedly, head tilting to the side to rest against the tiled wall and effectively cutting off the part of her face Jane had been able to see. "Are you volunteering?"

"I…I don't know," Jane mumbles, slowly retying her bow. "I just thought…you could use a friend?"

"I have friends." There's a finality in those three words, but also a waver in them, too, as if that finality wasn't quite so absolute.

"Then why are you screaming in an Auradon bathroom at two in the morning?"

Mal snorts and ducks her head just enough that Jane can see the smirk tightening her jaw. "And I guess you just have all the friends you could ever want and that's why you feel the need to point at me?"

"Not really, no," Jane says quietly, folding her hands to keep them from any more destruction.

"What, seriously?" Mal shuffles along the tile, and suddenly Jane can see all of her; her faded green sweater hanging off her shoulder and exposing quite a bit of skin, and Jane only _notices_ because it also exposes the edge of a paler, slightly raised bit of what can only be a scar. "I mean, with your mom being Fairy Godmother? Not to mention of course your own…personality."

Jane looks up at the dip in Mal's voice over the word, then drops her eyes again at the almost scathing look the other girl gave as she pointedly tugs at the collar of her sweater.

"Sorry," Jane manages shakily, attempting an equally apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to stare."

"No, go ahead, stare all you want," Mal growls, edging her way fully out from under the sink and pushing herself upright. "That's all you Auradonians see us as anyway, just a bunch of scars for you to cover right over."

"I don't," Jane retorts immediately, though she knows it would be more effective if she actually met the other girl's eyes. "And not all of us do. And anyway, I'm still here and trying to care at least, even if I'm not good at it."

"Yeah, you're really not, are you?" Mal mutters, but there's a contemplative look on her face now, her fingers idly tugging her sweater back up onto her shoulder, the excess fabric now sagging around her throat. "I guess that's why they're all banging down your door."

"It's why I'm no princess," Jane finds herself blurting, a vague sort of resentment pooling in her gut before fading into disappointment. "They're all just…shallow. And pretty. I- want to be pretty."

"What like your mom with her wand? All Cinderella and bippidy-boppidy-boo and junk?" Mal replies, and though it's said with something mocking and dismissive, the contemplative look on the other girl's face grows.

"She doesn't even _use_ the wand anymore," Jane complains, and she's aware that she's whining, and aware that the foreign-familiar magic tugging at her spikes sharply as she speaks, but it's the first time she's been truly able to vent about this and she's not going to stop now. "She says that 'real' magic is in books, and not even magic books. Like, regular books with history and stuff. She says that she put her wand away to 'adapt with the times' or whatever, but she did it because she was afraid."

"Oh."

There's a catch in Mal's voice, a crack in the thoughtful mask she'd been wearing. It's something strangely genuine, and though it lasts only a second, it's enough to have Jane inching closer, her voice lowering with secrecy and mutual curiosity.

"She was afraid, because King Beast was afraid, and he tried to…cover over all the magical things that could possibly be used against him."

"Paranoid bastard," Mal mumbles, and Jane grimaces at the language but actually sort of agreed.

"Magic had destroyed so much of his life that it didn't occur to him that it wasn't the force itself, but the _wielder_ that manipulated that force against him. So now she hides her true nature in a more 'manageable' form, and teaches things like 'working on the inside and not the outside' and…."

"And no more bippidy-boppidy-boo," Mal finishes, eyes narrow and a scowl darkening her features.

"Unless it's for like, the good of the King or something…lifesaving, I guess. But yeah." Jane nods morosely. "None of that."

"Wait, you said 'manageable form'," Mal murmurs, and Jane lifts her brows cautiously. "Does that mean…." She trails off and there's a barely concealed echo of something hollow and pained that crosses her face.

"That my mom has wings?" Jane finishes knowingly, a bittersweet smile of her own playing at her lips. "Well she wouldn't exactly be a 'faery godmother' without them, would she?"

Mal stiffens sharply, and Jane pales as the girl takes several rapid steps closer, green eyes bright with emotion.

"You just said _faery_ godmother," she hisses, and Jane sucks a breath and curses her loose tongue.

"It was a slip," she tries to explain, but Mal's eyes light with flame and Jane _knows,_ somehow, that she should not continue the lie.

"Do you want to try that again?" Mal asks, and though it's not entirely a threat, Jane shivers all the same.

"I don't know for sure if…if we actually count as fae," she admits carefully. "Mom's kind of…removed from the line? Um…she's got fae blood for sure- on _her_ mother's side…somewhere…but…fell out? I guess?"

Mal's eyes narrow even further, and Jane silently hopes she won't connect the dots. But of course, she could never be that lucky.

"Your mother's from the Moors, isn't she?"

"In a roundabout way," Jane mumbles, unable to help the whirl of emotions that place brings up in her, nonetheleast of which being resentment.

"Let me guess," Mal sneers, lips curling in matching resentment. " _Her_ mother was one of the ones who let _Stefan_ into the Moors, despite the fact that he was _human_ and had no right…."

"I'm human," Jane counters softly, feeling her magic snap hotly inside her. "Or at least, partly."

Mal's magic flares, then calms, though some of the tightness around her expression remains.

"Sorry," she says thinly, lips tight. "That's gotta suck."

"I…why would it…"

In place of an answer, Mal steps forward again, fingers sparking gently and eyes intense. Jane fights to stand her ground this time, and sees the other girl's eyes flicker with something almost like pride?- then they go solemn again as they rove over her face; taking in every detail.

"I don't know if the same can be said for Fairy Godmother," Mal mutters finally, stepping back again. "But you do still have some fae in you. It's hard to see past all the human though, unless you know what to look for."

"Still not sure I like how you say human like it's some kind of…."

"Curse?" Mal smirks at some hidden amusement, and Jane feels her magic snap tighter, feels it _itch._

"You'd know more than me," she mutters, and Mal's mouth opens in a wide, entirely thrilled grin.

"Good one," she crows, almost laughing. Jane doesn't quite know how she should feel about her remark (guilt, mostly), but Mal sobers before she can truly think of a way to apologize, something dark coming back into her eyes.

"What did _you_ mean?" Jane asks, if only to distract from whatever was playing in Mal's thoughts. "'If you know what to look for?' I mean…I _am_ human."

It's an instinctive insistence, one that had only really served to emphasize how out of place Jane always felt. The daughter of the Fairy Godmother; of course people would always look at her funny- look for the _human_ in her. It had been a small relief, at first, how plain she appeared. She remembered overheard conversations from when she'd been small; whispers of fear that she might take too much after her fae heritage. But she was just…average. Nothing to betray her magical heritage, aside from the few stray tingles of unreachable magic; the torn promise of _wings_. Jane had learned to hide in her plainness; to take comfort in it, especially when the Isle had gone up; and the barriers- the fears of the King and his restriction on magic in Auradon.

But now, standing before Mal- who _didn't_ hide; who _didn't_ feel ashamed about her heritage; who was far from _plain_ \- Jane found herself truly wishing for the first time in a long time.

"Not with Moor blood in you, you're not," Mal murmurs, breaking Jane out of her reverie. "And anyway, it's not as if…woops, sorry. Never mind."

"What?" Jane asks, the _itch_ tugging just a bit more. "Not as if what?"

Mal actually looks reluctant, but finally she shifts her weight and continues in a carefully neutral tone. "Not as if your father didn't have something to with it."

"My…" Jane barely contains her flinch of… _surprise_ , she firmly decides it's going to be. "My father's…."

 _Human_ , she wants to say. _Not part of this,_ another, injured part of her hisses. _Was never…part of this. _

"Oh, now you're making that face," Mal says with an almost-whine, her eyes flickering slightly. "Look, just forget I said anything, ok. It doesn't really matter. I just meant…you asked what to look for and there's not enough human in you to show, aside from whatever you got from hi…."

"Not enough to show?" Jane repeats, more than just a little surprised at this. "I don't look like…I don't look like anything special. I don't even…I can barely feel my magic most of the time; and that's on a _good_ day."

The darkness creeps back around the edges of Mal's eyes, but doesn't spill into her face and Jane only _wishes_ she had that control.

"But you're…how has your mother not _taught_ you anything?" Mal hisses, and it's disbelief and anger and…fear?

"She has," Jane tries, though her magic seems to _boil_ inside her now, and she squirms in a vain effort to relieve the feeling. "She's taught me how to stay calm, to not let my magic get the better of me. To…be invisible."

She hadn't meant for it to go like this, she thinks, fighting the lump in her throat; fighting the pull of Mal's own influence; fighting herself. But while Jane lacked Mal's level of control, she hadn't been lying about her own lessons, and so she breathes through the pain and the boiling and the _magic_ , forces calm until she's no longer shaking.

"Well that's not going to do," Mal says sharply, and Jane lifts her head and _doesn't_ freeze at the violent flashing of green in the other girl's eyes. "I mean, she used magic on Cinderella, who wasn't even related to her. But now because some controlling asshole doesn't want her to, she won't even help _you_? I thought Auradon parents were more about love and crap than that."

"Of course she loves me," Jane bursts out, shocked and yet, somehow not so shocked that the girl had even suggested such a thing. "It's just, you know…tough love…wanting me to be a better person on my own merits…that sort of thing."

She shrugs, and while there is no true doubt in Jane's mind of her mother's love and intentions towards her, it didn't change the hurt that plagued her consistently over her mother's stance on magic in relation to her happiness.

"That's the face!" Mal bursts out, and Jane jumps, looking up at her in confusion. "Yeah, you just look as if your…your heart is about to break."

Jane stares, still not quite sure what the other girl meant. Mal held up a hand as if to say 'wait a second,' then arranged her features into a mask of perfect heartbreak and grief, chin lowered in a characteristic gesture of submission, eyes only just flitting upwards to make invisible eye contact.

"I just don't understand it, Mother. _Why_ won't you teach me about my magic?"

It was utterly compelling, and if Jane hadn't watched the girl emulate the expression, she almost wouldn't have been able to see the mask for what it was. And yet she's not quite sure it _is_ just a mask; there's something too…raw in Mal's eyes that flick away from Jane's the moment they make eye contact. It's too honest…too…real? The moment it clicks in Jane's mind, the rest of the mask falls away, and she's able to see that while Mal is certainly feigning at making herself seem sympathetic, the way she'd spoken the words made it seem more like she was _begging_ ; an odd, desperate lilt in her voice. It occurs to Jane that Mal wasn't simply putting on a mask- she was recreating a moment in time.

"Do…do you really think that will work?" she asks.

Mal chuckles a bit, but there's an echo of the mask behind her eyes that makes it far from genuine. "Well I mean, it's what old Cindy did, right? And it worked just fine for her."

"Did it work for you?"

Mal jerks like Jane's words had been a blow, her jaw clenching tightly and sparks snapping anxiously from her fingers. Then she calms again in the next moment, a painfully fake grin working its way onto her face.

"I uh…I think my mother had the more _literal_ interpretation of that whole…'tough love' thing going on."

"Oh," Jane manages, that unsettling feeling growing as she tries not to think too hard on what that might mean. What the other girl might have had to go through for her past failure.

"But…I mean, this is Auradon we're talking about," Mal continues with a dismissive laugh. "You do that, the Fairy Godmother is bound to give you what you want."

"You really think so?"

"I have to."

"What?" Jane asks, and Mal blinks, then forces out another chuckle as she turns towards the sinks.

"You know…for optimism's sake."

"Right," Jane says, nodding. She files away the advice for later, but there was still something not right tugging at her. Though that could also have to do with the timing of the situation, and the state in which she'd found Mal. Speaking of which….

"Why were you-," Jane begins, then falters as she looks up and sees that Mal's sweater had slipped again, and she can see a series of yellowish-brown bruises across the back of her shoulder. She averts her eyes immediately, but she's almost certain she hadn't been caught that time, the other girl too busy splashing water onto her face to notice Jane's rudeness.

"What's that?" Mal mumbles, tugging her sweater back up and turning, no trace of water on her face despite the fact Jane hadn't seen her grab a towel.

"Nothing," she says, shaking her head. "Only…that if it works and I can convince Mom to use her wand again, you'll be the first to know."

Mal's eyes flicker with something too fast for Jane to interpret, but then she smiles softly, a much more genuine one this time.

"That would be awesome," she murmurs, and Jane grins back, satisfied as the unsettling feeling finally goes away.

She leaves before it has a chance to return, shaking off her questions and concerns, and resolutely not thinking of the fact that the pattern of Mal's fading bruises were distinctly fingerprint shaped. And she definitely doesn't stop to wonder if maybe she'd been too quick to accept Mal's suggestion that she push for her mother to use the wand. After all, it had only been reinforcing what Jane had secretly been hoping for anyway. Maybe it didn't have to be all 'bad' with the VKs; maybe a little good could come of it after all.

* * *

 **Ben**

He's knocking at the VK's door again because what else would he be doing at this hour? He fidgets with the sleeves of his jacket, hastily thrown over his pajama sweater in a vain bid for maturity- double checks the time on his watch; (3:30am and he'd normally be with Audrey now but he doesn't even know where _she_ is, let alone what he'd have done or said to her if he'd actually been with her); paces a few feet down the hall then back again if only to keep him from knocking a second (third, fourth) time.

"It's Ben," he finally works up the breath to murmur through the door, his hair just brushing against the faux-gilded number 17. He'd deduced that the VK's probably wouldn't ever separate into their own rooms the way they'd been intended, and so he'd taken to alternating between rooms to knock at whenever he went to visit them. This time, he'd chosen the boys' room, and was rewarded when he hears Evie's voice from the other side.

"Now's not a good time."

She sounds exhausted, but not like she'd just woken up; instead as if she'd never slept, and Ben grimaces and scratches the back of his neck.

"I…I kind of figured," he mumbles awkwardly, glancing back down the hallway and hoping he was being as quiet as he thought he was. "I just…I've got some updates I thought you guys might appreciate knowing about before, well…before the day starts."

"Define day." Evie flings the door open jerkily as she says the words, but wedges herself in between the door frame in place of inviting him inside.

Ben starts at the sight of her; dressed in faded blue-black pants and shirt, sleeves thick and over-long; the collar of the shirt only just managing to stay on her shoulders. Her eyes regard him with a level of suspicion and muted fear that he hadn't seen in her since day one when they'd first arrived; and there's _pain_ in the way she holds herself, and he can't tell if it's pain that's already been inflicted or pain that she's expecting, but it tugs brutally at him all the same.

"Evie," he begins, but then that muted fear flashes sharply, and she stiffens against the door.

"Don't," she snaps, lips curling not unlike Mal's; and then it occurs to Ben that Mal wasn't there, because if she was _she_ would be the one guarding the door from him, no doubt flinging curses and fire and generally being far more convincing a threat than what Evie was trying to be.

"Everything's not ok, is it?" Ben says, instead of the blundering 'are you ok?' that had wanted to be his first instinct.

"Is it ever with us?" Evie murmurs, and he pretends not to hear because he registers something in her tone that said he was never supposed to.

"Anything I can do to help?" he asks, as if in continuation of his own thought, and there's a hint of something soft in Evie's eyes that is countered by the harsh line of her jaw.

"There's nothing I can say that will stop you, so you might as well just come in," Evie sighs, dropping her eyes but not the tense posture as she slowly backs away from the door.

Ben frowns at that, not liking her implication, or the way she'd yielded to him; as if afraid that he would force his way in otherwise.

"You can just say no," he tries, not taking the offered step forward. "I wouldn't be offended, I get that I'm kind of just barging my way in and if it's not a good time…"

"Just come in, Ben," Evie says lowly, crossing her arms and leaning further back until he has full access to the open door.

"Alright," he agrees, and steps inside.

Instantly he feels the tension in the air, along with the deadly edge of… _something_. It's as if he'd been removed from ice and then shoved too quickly near a furnace- pin pricks of searing heat tingling along his skin in waves so intense he takes a defensive step back towards the door. Evie gives him a look like a regretful 'I told you so,' and if it weren't for the fact that he knew what Mal's magic felt like, he might have believed his instincts when they told him he was about to die.

Instead, he's able to manage a couple deep breaths before sitting carefully in the chair Evie subtly gestures to, only shivering slightly as he takes in the hazardous mess of clothes and wires? on the floor. The window is open, letting in a cool breeze that belies the lingering heat he feels in the air of the room. Evie stands in front of him, arms not exactly crossed but folded over herself, and he recognizes the submission in her pose even as her eyes watch him closely.

"Where…" he begins, then pauses when she tenses and switches tactics immediately. "Where are Jay and Carlos?"

Evie doesn't relax, but the edges of her jaw soften as she speaks, and he's grateful for the correct decision he's made, for once.

"They're in the bathroom," she answers quietly. "Jay…" She hesitates, lips pressing tightly together. "The meeting took a lot out of us. Carlos is helping him refocus."

Ben knows exactly what it is that she's not saying, and he wants to squirm in his chair the way his insides start to, but settles for adjusting his jacket sleeves again.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but…I really am sorry for what happened. If I had known that-"

"You did know," Evie snaps before he can properly begin to apologize. "You had the information; you knew what we've been through- what _Jay_ had been through."

He tries to protest, but there's pain and violence and fear in Evie's eyes and he can barely bring himself to draw the necessary breath.

"As if that weren't bad enough, you actively shared that information with our enemies. And yet you have the nerve to sit there and say that you're _sorry?_ To think you're the innocent one in this situation?"

"I didn't mean for any of that to happen," Ben says, and if his voice is too sharp it's because he was sick of being told that he was a failure. "I'm sorry that it did, and I know that means nothing to you but I really was just trying to help. _Am_ trying…I…just want to make things right."

"How overly heroic of you," a new voice drawls from behind him, and Ben lifts his head in time to see Evie lift hers sharply, and Jay scoffs as he moves into Ben's field of view to lean against the wall.

"Of course," the other boy continues, crossing his arms with a shrug. "You're from Auradon, so I think we can…forgive…you that quirk."

"Well don't go out of your way," Ben mumbles, somehow feeling hurt despite the fact that he really didn't have a right to.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Evie hisses, and he's so stunned by her vicious anger that he nearly misses Carlos slink up next to her.

He's feeling particularly ganged up on, and he's not exactly _afraid,_ no…no there's something else underneath. Something almost…thrilled? It's a strange, wild and terrifying sort of eagerness. As if a part of him _wanted_ a fight. Ben doesn't even want to pretend to know what that means, and so he shoves it to the very back of his mind and  doesn't.

"The way you said you'd forgive me," he says instead, not even sure which VK to look at. It didn't really matter; the feeling of being ambushed didn't dim regardless of who he was making eye contact with. "It was like it was a foreign concept to you."

Jay lifts a brow at him, and it takes Ben a moment to process the revelation because he's too busy focusing on the fact that the other boy looks so unsettled himself. Like he was just pretending at being ok if only for the sake of intimidating Ben. And despite his awareness of it, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit caught off guard.

"Wait," he says, wrenching his gaze away to meet Evie's softer (yet no less hostile) glare. "Do you guys really not….?"

"Things work a bit differently on the Isle," Evie answers coldly, her fingers twisting in the edges of her shirt and betraying her own fear. "There's no such thing as true forgiveness; just pretending to forget what you've done."

"Grudges are deadly," Jay continues, eyes distant and shadowed; his whole face carrying a hollow set to it. "It doesn't matter if someone says they forgive you if they're still remembering what you did to them. Cuz if they can remember, they can retaliate."

"Tha-tha-that's why we just ssay we ffforget instead," Carlos finishes in a whisper, the only one of the four of them not making eye contact. His hands shake as he fidgets with his dog tail.

"And why we _won't_ say it to you," Jay confirms, and if there's something sadistic and cruel in the corners of his smile, Ben supposes it was only fair.

"Right," he says, clearing his throat. "Well in that case I guess it doesn't really matter how sorry I am, is it?"

"It never mattered for us," Evie replies quietly, and there's a hitch in the cruelty in Jay's lips that makes Ben wonder if the conversation really was as one-way as it appeared.

"Does the fact that I'm owning up to what I did and trying to fix it matter?" he asks, watching Carlos for the clue this time.

The smaller boy's lips twitch even higher than Jay's, but it's bitter and angry more than anything so amused.

"Su-su-sure it does."

"That's sarcasm, isn't it?" Ben interprets, glancing to Evie in time to see the flicker in her eyes; watches the flicker reflect in Jay's.

"Sorry," Jay mutters finally, shoulders lifting higher defensively. "We're making you feel bad, aren't we?"

He blinks, then does it again. "Was that…not the intention?"

"Well shit, I didn't realize we were slipping that much," Jay says in response, but his voice shook too much for it to have been directed solely at him.

"Look, I…if you're mad at me for what I did, that's fine," Ben manages, throat and hands both clenching tightly. "Really; you don't have to forgive me, or…forget or whatever. But I am honestly trying to do the right thing and it'd be nice if people actually _believed me_ when I say that."

He feels a strange static in his chest, and he realizes it's a rumble at the same moment he realizes that it had been a growl he'd said those words with; at the same moment he realizes that they'd heard that….

"I guess that means you're serious," Jay mutters, and though his growl isn't near as impressive as Ben's, it's enough. "But that doesn't mean we can just…trust what you say. Not after…not after…."

"Jay?" Carlos says carefully, head lifting only enough to peer over at the other boy, and Ben has to fight to ignore his useless instinct to ask 'are you ok?' It was obvious that he wasn't, Jay's knuckles white from where he grips his arms, his jaw tight and body stiff.

"After the meeting," Evie breaks in sharply, and Ben recognizes the redirection and follows it obligingly, glad to be closer to where he wanted to be.

"I know," he says, and he _does_. "But that's why I'm here…what I wanted to tell you. I met with everyone again, afterwards, and…well…there's been a shift."

"Wwhat does that m-m-mean?" Carlos snaps shakily, and Ben pretends to ignore the grimace of disgust that crosses the boy's face as he speaks; isn't sure if he wants to know who it was directed at.

"It means that I've managed to get the Council to agree with me on some things, and that I have some power now to actually make things work."

"What kind of 'things?'" Evie asks, and he can practically _see_ the suspicion as a color in the air.

"Things like improving conditions on the Isle," Ben says, and it's relief and no small hint of pride that colors his announcement, as well as regret that Mal wasn't there to see how he was helping them. "Like actively sending over better materials and food, medicine…making sure people actually get taken care of."

"People?" Jay repeats with a skeptical lift of his brow.

"The people of the Isle," Ben clarifies carefully, not sure what the other boy was getting at.

"Like our parents?" Evie asks quietly, and he feels his stomach clench.

"Like everyone," he tries to amend, but inwardly he's cursing himself for not having thought through the ramifications of providing aid to their tormentors. "But my main focus is the _kids_ on the Isle. I…I want to bring over as many as I can."

Wide eyes and blank faces meet his statement, and Ben is startled to realize that it's not just surprise. The VKs' expressions were carefully blank; crafted masks to hide whatever true feelings they had. He's learned now what to look for, and so he watches Jay's hands clench in tight fists beneath his crossed arms; notes the twitch in Evie's jaw; the way Carlos flinches before forcing himself to relax.

"I bet everyone else on the Council was thrilled at that idea," Jay finally drawls, and Ben allows himself a wry smirk.

"They're nervous, of course," he says slowly. "But more or less on board."

"And how exactly did you manage that?" Evie quips, but her shoulders are tight with pain, fear flickering in her eyes.

"I might have taken advantage of their guilt a little," Ben admits shamelessly, and Jay lets out a startled huff of laughter before containing himself.

"Wouldn't have expected that of the Golden Boy," he scoffs, and while Ben feels a pang at the derision (at the nickname), he doesn't begrudge the feeling behind it. Not entirely, anyway.

"You'd be surprised just how many people actually want to help you guys," he says, instead of the sharper retort that springs to mind. "But it is going to take some time to get the other kids off the Isle. The Council wants to take things slow and 'focus on the four we have now.'"

"Good," Carlos bites out, and though his voice is shaky, the ferocity behind it catches Ben off guard.

"Good?" He repeats, uncertain. "You mean you guys want…"

"Want your help?" Evie finishes, and there's an incredulity and bitterness that colors her words sharp. "No, we've learned our lesson about _that_."

It's Ben's turn to flinch, though he manages to contain the reflex enough so it's hopefully not as obvious as he feared. Carlos' expression flickers, however, and he knows he hadn't succeeded.

"What he means is it's good that they aren't bringing anyone else over right away," Evie clarifies tightly. "There's definitely those on the Isle that shouldn't be here."

Ben jerks again at that, stunned and…horrified? Is that the churning in his gut or just the tension in the room?

"Everyone deserves a chance to have a better life," he manages, meeting Evie's gaze evenly. "If I'd let myself be convinced otherwise…if I believed what you said…you guys wouldn't be here."

Jay snorts through his nose, but otherwise remains silent, his lips quirking with something Ben can't quite define.

"What was that thing you said your decree was?" Evie responds lowly, matching his stare right back, which throws him off because she's shaking ever so slightly. "'The children of the worst villains?' Believe me when I tell you that there are those on the Isle far worse than _us,_ and if your council thinks that we will destroy Auradon- _they_ would do it a whole lot faster."

"Messier, too," Jay rumbles with a short dip of his chin, his eyes dark and sadistic.

"Well," Ben swallows the hitch in his throat and has to actively ignore his feeling of being threatened. "It's a good thing I'm asking you guys for help avoiding that then, isn't it?"

"Ex-ex-excu- _What_?" Carlos' expression sours briefly over his slip up, but his previous hostility fades with his confusion.

"While I don't entirely agree with your belief, I do want to be careful about who I bring over when the time comes," Ben says, ignoring the glare Evie throws his way. "Which is why I'd like to work _with_ you guys and get your opinions on the people I'm thinking of."

"And just who would that be?" Jay drawls, and Ben is relieved that while he doesn't sound interested, he, too has lost his dangerous edge.

"I'm not entirely sure yet," he feels vaguely comfortable enough admitting. "I have some thoughts, but like I said, I kinda just want to focus on you guys for right now. But it'd be nice to know I have your agreement, at least."

Carlos glances over to Evie, then Jay when he receives stony silence from the girl. Jay shrugs a shoulder, looking just as uncertain, and after a moment, Evie drops her eyes, shoulders coming up defensively.

"I don't know," she admits quietly. "We'd have to think about it. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous for you, or for everyone?" Ben probes cautiously, and her lips go back in a tight grimace even as her eyes remain firmly downcast.

"Is there a difference?"

He thinks for a moment, then tilts his head in concession. "Fair enough. I knew it'd be a bit much to take in so, yeah."

The tension goes out of her shoulders, and she flashes him a grateful look that promptly freezes on her face. Instinct has Ben tensing as well, a prickle of cold along the back of his neck the only thing he gets in warning before:

"You have till three to get out of this room."

He inhales sharply, and then hears:

"Three."

And then he's on his feet and whirling to meet Mal's livid expression; green eyes bright and wild, flames lapping at her wrists and flickering almost as harshly as her face. She looks beautiful. She looks _terrifying_ , is the correct term. And still Ben thinks, idly, that if this was how he was going to die…there were worse ways.

Then:

"Mal, enough."

And Evie's voice is so _dark_ and _violent_ that it jolts him out of…whatever it was he'd been in. Mal's jaw clenches so tightly he fears it might break, but there's an equally dark and violent and _considering_ look in Mal's eyes and he finds himself thinking he should be a bit more afraid of what else she might break. She snaps her fingers and sends more of the flame spitting to the floor, and the strange and dangerous part of Ben wants to snarl and meet the challenge with one his own, but he forces it back. Somehow he doesn't think a fight to the death would be appreciated after all the good he'd just had to work for.

"Mal," Ben says in place of the snarl, trying to make his smile look genuine. (Since when did he have to try?) "I'm glad you're here."

"Oh are you now?" Mal has no trouble initiating the snarl he hadn't, but there's something off about it that Ben can't place. "And why is that?"

"Because now I can share the other part of my news without having to repeat it," Ben finishes, and Mal stares a moment with an undefinable look in her eyes.

"News?"

"Good news," he's quick to clarify, because he's realized that it was fear at the same moment the flames inch to her elbows.

"Yeah, ok. Did you miss that it's after four in the morning? Or the get out of this room part?"

Evie hisses something under her breath behind him that has Mal stiffening sharply, and he senses the brutal shift in targets and subtly steps in time to place himself once more in Mal's focus. She blinks, as if unsure how he'd blocked her or why, but he simply offers a gentle shrug and silently hopes that no one else would draw her attention.

"I know it's late…or early, but I wanted to give you a heads up before the actual day started, just so you knew what was going on."

"How fucking thoughtful," Mal snaps, but her eyes are no longer on him, and he isn't sure why that scares him.

"Look," he says, angling his body enough to gauge the others' reactions. "I can tell that there's something else going on here, and while I might not know what-"

"You're right, you don't know, so you don't get to comment on it."

"I'd say he has more right to comment than you," Jay bites back, unfurling from his position by the wall and lashing out not unlike a serpent. "At least Ben acknowledges when he's fucked up and hurt someone and tries to make things right."

"I thought you didn't like when I did that?" Ben mumbles sheepishly, and Evie shoots him a sideways look.

"Points are being made, Ben," she says shortly, and he presses his lips together and lifts his brows.

"Apparently."

"They're useless points," Mal says, and if there was something more wild than a snarl, it's there in her voice; curling in her lips; stiffening her jaw and brows. "It's already been established that there's more important things at stake than just…."

"Just our happiness and free will?" Evie finishes, head cocking bitterly, teeth flashing a painful smile.

"Like your safety and continued existence," Mal retorts, eyes narrowing, and Ben mirrors Jay and Carlos' hesitant steps backwards at the thinly veiled threat.

While the other boys' steps take them towards the bedroom wall, Ben's takes him closer to the door, and he decides that in this case, leaving early might not be a bad idea.

"Look," he says slowly as he moves. "It's clear there's a lot more going on right now than I realized and I think maybe I should just give you guys some privacy. I uh…kinda don't want to intrude on-"

"Something that's been a long time coming?" Evie says lowly, and both Jay and Carlos freeze, eyes widening and breaths sharpening in their chests.

Even Mal stops, and Ben pauses with his hand blindly reaching for the door still three feet behind him, recognizing something **big** here.

"Do you really want to challenge me right now?" Mal whispers, and it's pained and raw and _deadly_ , eyes bright green and sinister.

"No," Evie whispers right back, own eyes wet and smile wobbly. "I really don't, actually. But you've made it clear you won't back down on this so what other choice is there?"

Mal's eyes flash brighter even as she stiffens at Evie's words, and Ben has the door at his back and yet he _can't_ leave.

"Why do you think I'm doing this?" Mal murmurs, and Ben wants to yank the door open and run, but he's paralyzed, helpless to even stop his ears against things he _knows_ he shouldn't be a part of. "You think I'm being **selfish** , is that it? That I don't **care** enough?"

"This was supposed to be a fresh start for us," Evie answers, somehow calm…no…cold, in the midst of Mal's heat. "A chance for the four of us to be and do better."

"This was never a fresh start and you know that. We can't…I can't afford to think like that anymore. Holding onto… _hopes_ ….like that…things like that…they get you killed."

Mal sucks in a breath that might have been sharp; the realization at having said more than intended. It lasts only a second before it tapers off into defeat, a choked noise slipping past her tightly closed lips, her jaw twitching sharply to the left.

"It gets you killed, Eve, and I can't…I can't…I _can't_ take that risk again."

There's clarity in there somewhere, but she's shaking and crying and there's no fire but the heat of her magic is smothering all the same and Ben is- he can't do anything-he can't…he's... _weak, powerless, can't do anything right can't do anything at all can't help can't...he can't **help here**._

It's all he can manage to get out into the hallway, and it's only with the door firmly behind him that he's able to come back into his own thoughts. He isn't entirely sure if he wants to know what had just happened, what was continuing to happen behind that door. He's never felt that way before. Helpless, yes; powerless, sure. He'd felt that defeat when he'd first gone in to meet with the Council. But to feel it at that level...that intensity... He shakes himself, tries to remember how to breathe.

'It gets you killed,' Mal had said, and that utter helplessness had spiked inside him, surrounding him at her words. Did she really believe they were in that much danger here? He'd thought they were doing good, that the VKs were starting to settle, (bumps and hitches notwithstanding) that maybe with this new turn of votes and tides would mean things could finally start changing for the better. But it wasn't enough...it could never be enough to combat what they'd gone through... _he_ could never be enough...

"B-Ben! Wai-wai-wait!"

He jerks at the slam of the door; at the half-desperate cry for his attention. He blinks, and his thoughts clear again and it's as he's turning to face a trembling Carlos it occurs to him that 1) this is what magic feels like, why his father has always been so afraid of it taking over Auradon- because Mal's magic definitely could and he's terrified but not as terrified as he probably should have been over the thought- and 2), the more important of the thoughts, that _Carlos_ was _talking to him_.

"Hey, Carlos," Ben greets, shifting his attention away from the door and to the smaller boy, who bobbed his head a couple times before bravely snapping his eyes up to meet Ben's, fingers twitching at his sides.

"I…I nneed…." Carlos' jaw clicks shut tightly, fingers twitching harder and body stiffening as if trying to physically keep the words in.

Ben does his best to appear as nonthreatening as he could, shifting his weight back into a more relaxed stance. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect as Carlos instantly flinches, body curling sharply in defense and eyes flashing fearful at Ben, words blurting violently from his lips.

"I nneed your help!" Carlos yelps, then freezes, eyes widening as if he'd just realized as Ben had, that he'd nearly spoken completely without stutter.

"You need my help?" Ben repeats, equal parts incredulous and pleased, hope swelling just as much as…dread? Why did he feel….?

"Please?" Carlos whispers, eyes just as hopeful, body just as tight with an undefinable dread. "You-you-you're the only one who mmmight know…."

"Know what?" Ben asks, suddenly uncertain.

Carlos hesitates a moment, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cell phone. He tinkers with it for a bit, then turns the screen to Ben. Once his eyes adjust to the dim glow he's able to make out letters, then when his brain registers that, he's able to recognize a name.

'Isaac. H-'

It's not a name that instantly sticks out to him, but there's something frantic and pleading and terrified in Carlos' eyes as he watches Ben read the name, which makes it all the harder to shake his head and step back again.

"I don't know who that is, Carlos, I'm sorry," he says, and Carlos nods, but it's not in defeat.

"No, but your…your p-p-p-parents," he blurts out, shifting his weight anxiously and glancing at the name on the screen again. "They have books, rright? They know about-about-about us…."

"You want me to look in the records for this…Isaac?" Ben asks, just so he's sure he's got it right.

Carlos nods again, body uncurling from its fearful defensive posture. "Please?"

"I mean, I can try," Ben says, ignoring the way his stomach flips at the thought. "I just…I don't want to go digging again and finding things that I shouldn't be. I'd hate to-"

"He's important," Carlos snaps, and Ben blinks, but the other boy maintains eye contact, lips tight and expression determined. "You _have_ to look."

"Who is he?" Ben asks, because anyone important enough to make Carlos not only approach him and _talk to him without stuttering_ , then he was definitely someone Ben wanted to know.

"I…I don't know," Carlos mumbles, suddenly shrinking back into submission and defeat, eyes cutting to the side. "But it's… _he's_ imp-portant."

"I'll try," Ben promises, nodding his agreement. "I can't guarantee I'll find anything, but I'll try."

Carlos' lips twitch into a grateful smile, and Ben is about to remark on just how well their first true interaction was going, but Carlos beat him to the punch.

"What-what…what was your other news?" he asks quietly, brow furrowing with worry and that dreadful hope.

"Right, yes…um….," Ben shifts, adjusts his sleeves again and tries to relax because it _is_ good news. "Mr. Kropp, the uh…the biology teacher…."

Carlos tenses before he can finish, eyes wary and expression dark and fearful again. "Wh-wh-what about him?"

"He's being fired," Ben finishes quickly, if only to get that look off the other boy's face. "Well, being tried for…for repeated abuse of students and um…and then being fired, but…I thought you'd want to know."

Carlos doesn't say anything for a moment, face going carefully blank and not even his hands fidget to give him away. Then he swallows, brow furrowing slightly as his eyes lift again.

"You sa-said _students_ …like…like more than…more than…more than _me_?"

Ben can't help the grimace that twists his expression, guilt churning his stomach. "Yeah um…apparently you're not the first to complain about some of the things he's done and said…but there was never any official documentation or records kept cuz I guess it was just so unheard of."

Carlos fixes him with a flat look, and Ben winces again and tries to keep plowing forward with some grace.

"But then with all the talks amongst the Council and the previous information found from investigating, it was brought back up and…and things are being done about it."

"Who?"

"Sorry?"

Carlos shuffles in place and glances back over his shoulder as if only just now realizing the possibility of being overheard.

"Wh-who else did he….?"

 _'You know you can tell me anything…tell me what happened.'_

 _'He said I'm not a valid member of royalty…I'm nothing…' 'He said 'that's not how Princes were supposed to behave but I suppose I shouldn't expect that from you seeing as you aren't a true Prince, let alone charming…' 'said 'it's a good thing you take after your mother…' 'said 'perhaps if you're lucky you'll find someone pretty to marry you, to make up for your lack of intelligence'_ and ' _he said' 'he said' 'he said' but _you can't say anything Ben, promise you won't tell anyone, promise you won't it's not a big deal it's just a bruise I've had worse hits in Tourney it'll go away he'll go away don't say anything Ben!

"Oh, um…." Ben studiously ignores the memories threatening to creep up further than the back of his mind; half-remembered pleas and promises of secrecy; of anger and helplessness and pain; of the loathing and bitterness because it wasn't how things were supposed to happen here. "It's…confidential."

The dubious look Carlos gives him more than expresses the bitter irony of the situation, but Ben felt like he'd given away enough of people's traumatizing secrets for the time being. There were more productive things he could be doing. Should be doing, really, now that he'd mostly gotten the good (and bad) out of the way.

"Um…but he won't be mistreating you or anyone else again," Ben finishes firmly. Confidently. "That was the other bit of news I wanted to tell you."

"W-w-well thanks," Carlos mutters, shrugging an uncertain shoulder. "I think?"

"Don't worry, Fairy Godmother is searching for a new Biology teacher with much better credentials and history, but until then, you and Jay'll be taking Chemistry with Mr. Deley along with Mal and Evie. Different time slots, but um…she's got the details on how that'll work and….what's that look for?"

Carlos was looking…very bright-eyed, actually, head up and mouth opening in something far too enthusiastic considering how sudden a change this was.

"I get to blow sstuff up?" He asks, and there's a hushed awe in his voice that directly combats the odd gleam in his eyes, and Ben finds himself thinking (not for the first time) that the VKs were capable of being dangerous.

"The correct answer is no, you don't _intentionally_ get to blow things up, although there are sometimes mishaps in the lab. Mr. Deley's good about keeping everyone on track though, so there's a minimum of any 'accidents.'"

Carlos mutters something that sounded like 'we'll see about that' under his breath, but when he met Ben's gaze it was with utter innocence. Ben shakes his head and lets out a brief chuckle in spite of himself.

"You know, you might want to consider channeling some of that destructive energy into Tourney. It's a sport we play here, kind of like…well, I don't know how to compare it to anything you be familiar with…."

Carlos blinks at him, and he trails off sheepishly, reconsidering his words.

"Anyway, it's a lot of fun. Tryouts are coming up this week, you…you should bring Jay. I think it might be good for him."

Carlos blinks again at that, but it's with something careful and considering this time. "You-you think so?"

"I…yeah," Ben affirms, offering a brief smile. "Yeah I do."

Carlos thinks a moment more, then nods slowly. "Ok."

"Ok?" Ben repeats, hopeful and yet not entirely sure.

Carlos shrugs, but one corner of his mouth lifts upwards ever so slightly. "I'd have to convince him fffirst but…but I think ok."

"Well great! That'd be awesome if you could. And I know Aziz would be thrilled to have you on the team…."

"Wait. Aziz is…he's part of this t-t-t-tourney thing?"

"Is…I didn't think that was…. That's not a problem, is it?"

Carlos' eyes flash and his smile turns mischievous. "Nno," he denies, and Ben is relieved for all of two seconds. "I just meant if Aziz is p-part of it, Jay will _hhhave_ to be, if only to try and beat him."

"Right," Ben mutters, not sure whether or not that could be a good thing. "Rivalry."

"Do-do-do-don't worry about it," Carlos says, and though it's mostly lighthearted, there's something solemn in his eyes that has Ben recognize it as a threat.

"I won't," he decides, and nods to affirm his promise. "I'll trust your expertise on how to manage all of that, and I'll just stick with trying to do what I can to fix things."

Carlos nods, but looks doubtful himself, and Ben feels guilty all over again.

"If I told you I'm sorry, would that mean anything to you?" he asks quietly, and Carlos blinks, then shrugs one shoulder, expression again that careful blank.

"Nnot…not really, no," he murmurs, and Ben nods, lips pursing, defeat sinking in again and latching deep. Carlos must see something in his expression because he fidgets and tugs at his hair a bit before continuing.

"Wo-words don't matter on the Isle," he says slowly, eyes flickering from Ben's to the ground and back again. "When people…people can ssay one thing and do…something wo-orse. You say you're sorry- that you-you don't _mean_ to….but then you do…worse."

"I'm not trying to do worse," Ben mumbles back, but Carlos just shrugs again, eyes no longer meeting his.

"I-I-I-if you're really sorry…do…something."

Ben supposes it made sense; actions speaking louder than words. To him, and to most of Auradon, really, your words were who you were; how you spoke- what you spoke- they made up a list indicating your values. They weren't as action-oriented as it appeared the Isle clearly was. Maybe…maybe it was time to change in other ways. Think in other ways.

"Would finding out who your mystery person is count as 'doing?'" Ben probes, only half teasing.

Carlos laughs shortly, some of the foreboding aura leaving him. "It mmight," he says back, lips twitching just the slightest bit upwards.

"Well then I'll start there," Ben says, and he _means_ it in words; the only thing he has to express his promise for now, but he also means it in the way that counts. He'd do it. "Any ideas on what I can do to make it up to Mal and Evie?"

He'd been hoping for more good things, but instead, Carlos goes pale, eyes widening and body stiff.

"Oh sshiit," he hisses, head whipping as if to turn, then freezing mid-step to glance at Ben in terror. "I…I gotta…"

And then he's gone, back the few feet down the hall, the door to the VKs' shared room slamming shut behind him.

"O- ok," Ben mutters, blinking as he processes the incredibly abrupt departure. "Good talk."

Then he shakes himself because you know what it _had_ been a good talk, and he wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. He'd start with what he'd been given, and maybe…maybe in time he could make things better. With this new purpose in mind he sets off back down the hall, then stops at the top of the stairs as a sudden thought occurs to him.

"Where did he get a cell phone?"

* * *

 ** _Evie_**

Evie sat on top of a barrel in a corner of the hideout and watched Mal watch Dizzy. The girl had been with them- had been _theirs_ \- for almost a month now, but every now and then Evie would catch Mal staring at the girl with an undefinable look on her face. For a time, Evie had feared it was displeasure, that Mal might be regretting her decision to bring the child into their ranks. Then it had changed to darker like suspicion, and though Mal had never acted on it (as far as Evie knew), it was beginning to wear on the older girl.

"Leave it alone, Mal," Evie muttered, securing a knot in the yarn she was winding around her fingers.

"It's not your concern, E," Mal said back, not even turning as she spoke, eyes narrow as Dizzy started to organize a shelf.

"She's _mine_ ," Evie replied firmly, not backing down despite the way her hands shook at going so directly against their leader like this. "It's entirely my concern."

Mal drew a breath to say something back, but then straightened, eyes flashing a bright green. "That's it," she mumbled, then raised her voice. "Everyone out. _Now_."

There was an abrupt stop in movement from the rest of the crew, eyes turning doubtful at her sudden dismissal, then the movement shifted to desperation at her snarled command, careful clamoring and rushing for the one door and the multiple windows.

"Jay, follow the pests back and make sure they stay where they're supposed to," Mal spoke over the retreat, glaring at the triplets, who made faces at her when she turned her head. "Carlos, mark the East Side as you go; you can start the rounds tonight."

Carlos looked like he was about to protest, but then thought better of it and nodded, grabbing up the flashlight he'd been tinkering with and clicking the button a few times to get it to work. He was out the door moments later, the sound of the clicking button the only thing indicating his presence. Evie grit her teeth and tied off the final bit of yarn before straightening sharply.

"And me?" she demanded, knowing all too well where Mal was going with this.

The other girl cast her a sideways look but otherwise remained silent, turning back to ensure the removal of everyone else. Dizzy shifted near the bookcase, one hand nervously adjusting her glasses while the other hugged her side.

"And me?" she repeated softly, eyes nervous and almost guilty, as if she somehow knew she was the source of Mal's insanity.

"You. Stay."

The girl nodded slowly, eyes downcast, and Evie stood from her barrel, while Mal remained curled up on hers, one leg tucked to her chest while the other swung lazily back and forth. Her green eyes remained sharp, however, finally lifting to meet Evie's only when everyone else had left.

"What are you playing at, Mal?" Evie hissed, and Mal lifted a brow which only served to infuriate her further.

"Playing?" Mal repeated softly, and it took all Evie had to keep from shuddering at the danger in the other girl's tone. "This is life and death, E. The next drop is in two days and I can't have…."

"A liability?" Evie snapped, hands tightening at her sides.

Mal's eyes were solid jade when they snapped back up to hers, the severity in her glare as if from someone far older than her eleven years.

"If that's the word you want to use," she said coldly. "Then, yes. I can't risk anything or _anyone_ in this crew if we're going to survive."

"And is she included in that risk?" _Am I?_

Mal stands in place of answering her, uncurling fluidly from her barrel and taking a single step forward, just enough to break the eye contact Evie had been maintaining.

"It begs the question of you, brat," Mal says, and Evie's jaw clenches, her stomach twisting at the anxieties running through her head. "What's your poison?"

"My…poison?" Dizzy repeated uncertainly, eyes flickering back and forth between Mal and Evie, fingers still gripping tightly to one corner of the bookshelf. Like she might bring it down if the threat demanded it.

"Not like, literally or anything," Mal said, waving a dismissive hand. "We already have Jay for that and we don't really need another assassin."

Dizzy flinched minutely into the bookshelf, and Mal paused, seeming to realize the effect she was having on the younger girl. Some of the severity left her shoulders, and for just a moment she appeared relaxed. Dizzy believed it, at least-her fingers loosening their grip from the bookshelf; but Evie knew better, and she took a step forward, reclaiming some of the previous eye contact.

"Mal-"

"No," Mal snarls, eyes flashing sharply to the side, and Evie can't help but flinch at the warning in them. At the threat. "No," she says, softer, to Dizzy. "I mean, why are you _here_? Why this crew? Why me?"

Dizzy blinked, head tilting to the side as she considered a moment, then she shrugged a shoulder, eyes meeting Mal's boldly. "It's like you said, isn't it?" She answered easily, with no hesitation. "Survival."

"How so?" Mal replied, chin lifting in anticipation of further challenge.

"You take care of your crew," Dizzy stated, brow furrowing and eyes cutting to Evie as if it were obvious and why didn't she see that? "Uma doesn't. It was the best choice, all things considered."

"I take care of what's mine," Mal retorts, though something was playing at her lips.

"Yeah," Dizzy said, nodding her head slowly. "Isn't that why I'm still here?"

* * *

 **Evie**

The bedroom was on fire.

Green licked up and down the thick, dark curtains, whipping about and sending sparks raining about; which in turn reignited and caught among the bedsheets; the furniture; the carpets.

And the human occupants.

"What's your poison, Mal?"

Evie cocks her head, ignoring the heat. She was cold enough to combat it easily. Mal makes a choking noise and the fire pops violently, etching its way further up the other girl's arms. Evie can practically _see_ the magic twist and curve as it moves along its destructive path. A small part of her feels jealous. The larger part wraps her own instinctive magic closer, letting its cold continue to shield from the heat.

"What are you doing here?"

"Stop it, Eve," Mal rasps, voice breaking over even the lone syllable, pain twisting her face as the fire reaches her shoulders.

"I'm not the one burning the room down," Evie retorts, and behind her, one of the curtains starts to whine in protest; the metal not used to such magical abuse.

"It's not…I'm not…." Mal tries, but only succeeds in maintaining her current position. Burning.

"Oh, just making a point then?" Evie says, lifting a brow and barely containing a flinch at another loud pop of sparks by her feet. "Yeah, you're good at that. Why don't you tell me then? Tell me why I'm wrong."

Mal's jaw twitches in place of a verbal response, head shaking back and forth almost as desperately as the curtains to Evie's back.

"Stop," she pleads, and Evie is grateful for the shower of sparks that forces her eyes shut. She isn't sure she could handle seeing Mal's eyes like this.

"I can't," she says, biting back her own plea, wrapping her cold just a bit tighter. "You've made it so I can't. Why _this,_ Mal? Why couldn't you just let us have this?"

"Dangerous," Mal bites out, and there's the guttural hiss of a held-back cry coloring her voice.

"Auradon's isn't the danger to us," Evie answers, shaking despite the temperature in the room. "Maybe it could have been, but now…."

"You think I'm the one that's dangerous," Mal finishes hoarsely, and the smile on her face is a grimace more than anything, and a cold pit opens in Evie's stomach that has nothing to do with her own magic.

On a hunch, a whim, a dare, she reaches for the nearest burning object –one of the large cushion-like chairs- and bites back a curse when all she feels is a tickle of heat. It's hot, yes, but it's not…burning….anything, now that Evie is looking closely. Nothing in the room is actually on fire except for

"Mal," Evie gasps, horror twisting her face as she whips back around to face the other girl, whose mouth opens in a gruesome mockery of a smile.

"Ha," she pants weakly. "Guess I really am the liability now, huh?"

"Stop it!" Evie demands, and her own magic suddenly feels stifling; too dense; too thick. "Why are you doing this?"

Something snaps- Evie watches the break happen as the fire leaves Mal's eyes- slowly starts to suffocate and wither from the room. From the room, but not…not from Mal. The flames eat their torturous way higher up Mal's shoulders, teasing at the curves of her neck. Mal's jaw tightens against it even as her face twists in pain, and Evie reaches desperately for the cold pool of her magic, pools it deeper and colder and then _pushes._

The effect is almost instantaneous. The gradual smothering of the fire in the room immediately douses, leaving a bitter, ashy taste in the air. Evie fights the gag of panic that rises in the back of her throat, ignores the stab of pain behind her eyes and the rough, scratchy feel of a brick wall beneath her fingers. (Nearly ignores, anyway.)

Mal chokes on a noise like a scream as the flames feeding on her body are suddenly doused, and Evie trades the gag for a curse, staring at the red blisters covering the backs of Mal's hands. She can see a similar pattern snaking its way up her wrists, but the fabric of her sweater obscures the rest of the damage from view. She can only really guess as to the extent of the injuries, yet she isn't sure if she really does want to know.

"Mal," she hisses, and the other girl looks up sharply, then laughs, eyes falling again and Evie can't _stand_ to see Mal so submissive. Not to her.

"t's fine," Mal slurs, lips cracked and swollen. "It'll…it's fine, E."

"None of this is fucking _fine_ , Mal!"

"Ha," Mal chokes humorlessly, that harsh rasp of pain. "Aren't…aren't we a pair?"

Evie shakes her head, closes her eyes again because she couldn't…do this right now. Couldn't give in to this right now.

"When you said earlier, that our survival was at stake-"

"No." Mal hisses sharp between her teeth, and Evie can't hide her own wince at the pain in the other girl's voice. At the fear. "Not that."

Evie opens her eyes, lets the cold back in just enough to lift her guard; to numb the sensation of brick under her hands.

"It was a threat, but you didn't mean you."

"Don't." Mal lowers her head, and Evie swallows hard at the realization that _this_ was Mal begging.

It's a heady feeling, having power over one so in power, and Evie pauses just a moment to wonder if this is what it felt like. Control. Then dread stabs sharp in her gut and twists, and she looks back to Mal in time to watch a shudder work its way through the other girl's body. And that's what it feels like.

"Tell me."

Mal stiffens, shoulders coming up and jaw working hard against a reply. Her face twists again and her eyes are bright when they flit to Evie's, and normally she'd give in then; yield to Mal; let it go. But she can't this time, and she hardens her own resolve even as Mal begins to protest in the form of her name.

"E-"

"It wasn't a question."

Mal _flinches_ back, and there's that sharp twitch of her jaw to the left; there's that submission; there's that vulnerability and it **hurts** _._

" _Mal_."

"She promised your death!" Mal screams; chokes the words.

And suddenly Evie is wishing that the room were still on fire. It would make her loss of breath much easier to justify.

"Maleficent?" she finds herself asking needlessly, and Mal lets out another choking sob, head lowering minutely.

"Your death…for…for my failure."

"Specifically?" Evie mutters weakly, and Mal's lips twitch without humor.

"All of you," she whispers, and the gnawing pit open wider. "And even…even if we did manage it, there's no way she'll let me…let me keep you."

"What?" Evie has to actively fight to keep the cold from overtaking her; to keep images of Carlos…of Jay…of…her…dead…out of her mind.

"She hated the idea of you to begin with," Mal murmurs, her whole body sagging under the weight of her words. Of her defeat. "She always said that relying on others was a sure sign of weakness; that if I were to succeed in Auradon I was going to need to become a dragon."

Mal lets out a bitter laugh that breaks in the middle. "She didn't care about Carlos; thought he was too weak from the start. Jay…it was after…all she'd do was twist her face; this- this _disgust_ \- and I'd know she was talking about him. Never his name, either…always just…just…."

"Mal," Evie breathes, own voice breaking in the midst of her plea.

"And you," Mal cries instead, one hand clenching tight and shaky, the other running damaged fingers through damaged hair. "She hated you most of all…because of all of…you were the only one even close to being my equal—no, fuck…let's be honest since they love that sort of shit here… _better_."

Evie jerks her head back, the laugh the slips past her lips instinct alone. "Clearly you still have a bit of Isle in you if you're going to try and give me that bullshit."

" _Bullshit_!"

Mal hisses at the same time, fury and pain and fear all at once.

"Bullshit, E, and you fucking know it."

"No," Evie snaps, but she's shaking and she _hates_ Mal for doing this to her. "No you can't just…you don't get to put that on me!"

"I didn't," Mal says, quiet, eyes down even as her jaw tightens. "I yielded to you, remember? Because you're right- when it comes down to it, I don't care enough to risk everything for this."

"You still think Auradon is a danger, then?"

"I think Auradon is _temporary_ ," Mal bites back, the heat in the room flaring again before dying down. "As long as she…"

"She's on the Isle," Evie counters, and Mal blinks but doesn't quite make eye contact. "I know, that's stupid to say and believe me I don't doubt…" she inhales sharply, then breathes. "I don't doubt her intentions. But she isn't…here."

"Only for so long," Mal says, head shaking back and forth again, both hands tangling in her hair. "Only for so long and I _can't_ …."

"Then don't," Evie says, and Mal's breath catches in her throat and she swallows to keep from doing the same. "You said it yourself…you…you yielded to me."

It was strange, saying it out loud. Like it had actually been a thing that happened. Mal cocks her head, one corner of her mouth twitching into something bitter-sweet but satisfied, and Evie doesn't really want to think on all that might mean right now.

"So then, don't. No…plans…no breaking the barrier. No one ends up dead."

"It can't be that simple," Mal argues, but even Evie can see the desperate hope in her eyes. The fear of relief.

"It could be," Evie insists, because she _has_ to. "We're doing things the Auradon way from now on. For real. We're going to _make_ things good for us."

"Ha," Mal mutters, eyes finally, finally, meeting hers. "Told you."

"What?"

"You could be better than me." Mal says it with a grin that is definitely pride, and Evie scoffs to hide just how deeply it affected her.

"Well just because I'm discarded royalty doesn't mean I don't have standards to live up to."

When Mal laughs, it's far more genuine, and Evie allows herself a tired, if slightly victorious, smile. "As long as I don't have to conform to those standards, I'll be fine with that."

"Always rotten," Evie sighs, shaking her head.

"To the core."

* * *

 **Isaac**

There's a crack forming in one of the glaciers. It's _infinitesimal, minute, insignificant…_ it's small- but deep enough that Isaac notices it; in the same way he notices everything. In the same way he notices that the windows bear smudges and odd fogged-over patches at about waist height, meaning that the snow creature - _Olaf_ \- had been in the throne room again, pressing his face against the glass to watch the snow fall. Which didn't make any sense to him, the thing was made of snow, what more fascination with it could it – _he-_ have?

On a whim, Isaac pressed his hand to the glass, leaning forward and looking out over the mountain and down the steep cliffside the castle rested upon. It was a dizzying sensation, the ice nearly black _as night? No, that's a stupid cliché it's ice it's white except for where it's not and then it's as black as…the Isle. Cruella._

Isaac sucks a sharp breath that clears the fog on the window, then it re-fogs as he exhales just as sharply. Best not to follow that line of thinking too far…best not to dwell- better to just wait. And notice everything else; notice the pattern the snow takes on the windowsill, nearly identical to the motifs littered about the place. Notice the curve of the mountain and the depth of the darkness beneath it and the little blurred line of color where it meets the muddled yellow of the village. Wonder if he'd become just as muddled hitting the bottom, or if he'd scatter like the snow. Notice Elsa enter the room, but he can't _notice_ her yet because he's still too busy counting out all the ways a fall from this height might-

Cold at his back.

"Isaac."

Oh. Right.

"Elsa," he says as he turns to her, and his breath is mist in the air. "I mean…Your Highness."

She fixes him with a look and a quirk of her lips, and he flinches as he waits for the onslaught of all that look entails….

"The report," she says sternly, and he sucks a sharp breath for the second time thus far because how was he supposed to _tell_ her?

"Yes," he's quick to blurt out instead, crossing a few strides closer to her and trying to appear in control. _He_ was _in control; he_ was _control; he was Creator to the very thing that gave her Kingdom its life; he was_\- "Sorry. I was just..."

' _Just contemplating the many ways in which your body could survive tumbling off this cliff? There aren't that many-_ I've checked _._ '

He snaps his head up, hands shaking and breath freezing in his throat. Elsa fixes him with another cool look (ha. ha. ha) and he can't stop the panic from hitting him because he can't figure out _which_ Elsa and – _Snow Queen, shattered mirrors, shattered glass, his body flung into the fjord-_ but no, it couldn't be he's _done_ that one he's _written_ that one and he can't be he can't be because otherwise there wouldn't be...

"Auradon," Elsa prods icily, and he straightens, the memories flowing back through him- reality, back through him- and he nods, swallowing hard and cursing his…Curse. _So you're going to take_ that _form, this time?_ "How is the situation with our 'neighbors'?"

"Unsettling, for lack of a better word," he replies, and bristles because he could think of a millennia's worth of better words except it's images that bombard him now, and he can't get his thoughts to focus.

"The boy-king is as incompetent as we feared and yet, for all his…youth…he is trying. Naïve, but trying." Wouldn't have to be so useless…not for long. I could probably write a much better- **no**!

' _I wonder what good his trying will do when there's already been so much bloodshed- and so much more to come.'_

Isaac shudders and fights to remain upright, to not cower as _self-preservation as weakness_ as instinct would have him. It wouldn't do to show weakness before the Snow Queen. Elsa glances back at him and the light reflects diamonds against the ice of her cape and light? But she was...light…light, he reminds himself. She was light and snow not dark. Not _her._

"I can never help but wonder why you insist on verbal and audio reports, when it appears that such things only serve to distract you," Elsa murmurs, and though her tone is mild, there's some kind of bite to her words that instantly sets him on his guard. "Surely there are more efficient ways to record what needs to be made note of?"

"Ha," he tries for a laugh but his stomach feels like it's being crushed in a vise. "There probably are, but the paper and pen is…outdated, for me." –or, he's outdated for the paper and pen- "I prefer keeping track of things audibly; makes things easier to record."

"Even though you are, technically, employed as Royal Scribe and Emissary," Elsa quips. "Both positions of which typically require proficiency with pen and paper."

"So would be the assumption," he counters, as easily as he can with sweat collecting at the back his neck, cold seeping into every inch of his body.

"And yet your hands are shaking."

They are, and there's no use in hiding them and yet he does anyway, clasping his hands tightly together behind his back. "Nervous tic."

' _Nervous_?' She grins, and he can see his death reflected in her smile. ' _Of me? You have_ every right to be.'

"I suppose considering my tendency towards villainy, it's only understandable you should be nervous," Elsa says, and he pales considerably at how closely her words resemble…her other counterpart. "Understandable, and not entirely unwarranted."

"You're different." He has to say it out loud; has to hear the words for _himself_ never mind what it actually did for her esteem. "You're not the same woman who froze half the fjord"– _and killed the other half—wrought havoc on the whole of Arandelle._

"I will take your words as the compliment they are intended to be, and not a morbid reminder of the past," Elsa says coldly _of course it's cold, she has no other setting._ That's harsh. _Justified, but harsh._

"And yet," she continues, and the temperature in the room drops minutely. "With all that in mind, just how long were you planning to lie to me?"

' _Did you really think you could deceive me?_ '

"I'm…I'm afraid I don't-"

"To the point, then: when were you going to tell me about Carlos?"

"Carlos?" And he can breathe because he's not dead, and that was the one thing that not even _the Snow Queen_ had known about; and yet he can't breathe because how did Elsa?

"Do not take me for a fool," she snaps, and he cringes because it was the furthest thought from his mind. "One would only need to look to see how he resembles you."

"How-?" he hisses, and if his hands clench into fists it was only to his credit.

"Contrary to what you might believe, I do have other ways of getting information than just by your hands, and it wasn't long before a rather scandalous article reached me regarding one young Carlos de Vil."

He feels that familiar twisting sensation of the Author's magic; his fingers curling around the Pen instinctively conjured into them; Paper crinkling in his waistcoat pocket when he takes a step forward, shoulders squaring.

"Is that meant to be a threat?"

Elsa lifts an amused brow, and yet the temperature in the room drops so drastically he nearly loses his breath.

"Have care how you speak, Isaac," she says softly, and he bites back the curse he wants to give; twitches his fingers to abscond the Pen to his pocket. "It was no threat, simply a statement. Depending on how the situation in Auradon turned out, I had intended for your aid in putting certain plans in place. Don't mistake my intentions for weakness."

A stab of cold goes through him that has less to do with her display of power as it is a sudden flash of his previous death at her hands- or rather, the Snow Queen's hands. He steps back, swallowing hard and inclining his head.

"F-forgive me, my lady." _Idiot. Now is not the time to be passive aggressive!_

"Tell me about him," she says, instead of spearing him through with her ice as he's half-expecting. "It's clear you care for him immensely."

Tell her? Tell her…what? 'He's the single greatest thing to ever happen to me but ultimately he couldn't be enough?' 'The last time I saw him was years (centuries? millennia?) ago right before a magical barrier went up and separated us permanently…and he was barely an infant then?' 'That even though I could just as easily have written my way onto the Isle to see him at any time, I didn't, purely to spite his mother, who, incidentally was my first and only love and simultaneously my greatest downfall?'

"I care for him more than you could imagine," he finds himself saying instead, fingers tight around the Pen concealed in his pocket.

"Enough that you would abandon him to protect him from yourself? I understand more than you give me credit for, Isaac," she says when he snaps his head up at her words. "With our mutual inclinations towards villainy in mind, then, I think it's only fitting."

"You think…what…is fitting?"

She smiles at him, and for once he doesn't see his death in it.

"You're going to want to write this down."


End file.
